Patrick Dempsey returns to home state for cancer fundraiser

LEWISTON, Maine – Actor Patrick Dempsey is back in his home state for a cancer fundraiser.

The former “Grey’s Anatomy” star created the bike-and-run Dempsey Challenge to raise money for a cancer center created in 2008 in partnership with the Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston.

Dempsey, who grew up in Maine, opened the two-day event that started Saturday with 10K and 5K runs, along with a two-day bicycle ride. Cyclists on Sunday will participate in additional races ranging from 10 miles to 100 miles.

Dempsey and his sisters were inspired to help create the center in 2008 by their mother, Amanda, who later died from cancer in 2014. More than $1 million was raised for the event that kicked off Saturday.

Dempsey became widely known as Dr. Derek “McDreamy” Shepherd on TV’s “Grey’s Anatomy.” After leaving the show, he went to London to film “Bridget Jones’s Baby.”

He’s currently filming a 10-part adaption of the best-selling novel, “The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair,” in Quebec.