Derrek Lee as Derrek Lee

On October 18th, Derrek Lee will be starring in the television drama "ER" as...well...himself. On September 20th, the first Cubs day off in over three weeks, Derrek Lee showed up at Wrigley Field to make his acting debut. He had four lines and didn't seem overwhelmed by the spotlight on set. I would have to imagine standing in against a Jake Peavy or Roy Oswalt is a little more nerve wrecking.

Lee made this brief appearance on ER in exchange for something he easily would've paid a pretty penny for, a chance to get the word out about Leber's congenital amaurosis (LCA), the condition his 4 year old daughter suffers from. A year ago, Jada Ryan Lee lost the vision in her right eye and doctors diagnosed her with the rare condition. Along with Boston Celtic owner Wyc Grousbeck, Lee started the foundation "Project 3000" which aims to identify the 3000 or so people who suffer from LCA and help them get treatment. So in return for Lee starring in this episode, LCA will be the main subject of an ER episode in January 2008.

Gene Wojciechowski was at Wrigley Field for the filming of Lee's scene and asked him about the support he has been receiving from people.

"It kind of restores your faith in people," said Lee, who wore his red Project 3000 bracelet on his left wrist. "People really do care and just want to help. Right now, I've got a $10 check in my locker from a kid who just wanted to help."

So on October 18th, don't forget to watch Lee's acting debut, and look out for the January episode that Lee would definitely much rather you tune in to.

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Here are some links about the Lee's, LCA, and Project 3000:

Wojciechowski: Lee's best role yet

Crasnick: Daughter's retinal disease brings life into focus for Lee

Project 3000