Maine’s Patrick Dempsey ‘Heartbroken’ After Lewiston Mass Shooting

If you didn't know, Parick Demsey is from Lewiston, Maine.

We all know it because as Mainers, we couldn't be more proud to call Patrick a Mainer.

I've worked with Patrick in raising money for his project, The Dempsey Center, with locations in Lewiston and South Portland, and I can tell you firsthand that he is as nice as he is handsome. And he also is a proud Mainer. So it's no surprise that he truly is heartbroken over the shooting in his hometown. He shared his grief on Instagram:

In the Instagram post, he said: “I am shocked, and deeply saddened by last night’s tragedy in my hometown, Lewiston, Maine. Maine’s great strength is it’s sense of community, and now we are being asked to come together to support everyone that has been devastated by this senseless act. My family and I are heartbroken for the victims, their families, and the community.”

Patrick puts his money where his mouth is. During Townsquare Media's fundraiser Cans for a Cure on both 94.9 WHOM and Q97.9, he was fascinated that two boys from the West Baldwin area were leading the charge in helping this charity for breast cancer.

The famous actor and his extremely busy life made time to come and see what it was all about firsthand and meet the boys, Bryce and Riley Deshaies, back in 2019.

It's a good thing that Patrick was in Transformers: Dark of the Moon because these two boys had never heard of Grey's Anatomy! Patrick was so proud of the boys and his family for their efforts in collecting bottles and cans to help Mainers fight breast cancer.

Because of the work he does with the Dempsey Center and cancer, he was all in with his fellow Mainers putting their heart and soul into helping Mainers.

What is remarkable about Patrick Dempsey is that he is not an affected movie star. He didn't have a driver "bring" him to the event in West Baldwin. He drove there himself, met everyone, and got into the spirit by signing the Cans for a Cure banner.

The banner is for people to sign for loved ones lost, those fighting, or honoring survivors. Patrick put his mom's name on the banner.

In a 2021 interview with the Maine Mag, Patrick talked about how the sense of community in Maine has always stuck with him. He said he noticed how strong that sense of community is, but also that "there’s an altruistic nature to most Mainers and a real sense of giving back."

So thank you to all our New England supporters from the Bruins to Patrick Dempsey and more. Maine appreciates the outpouring of love. We will get through this.