Editing Mario Lemieux (section)

==Charitable causes==
In 1993, the same year he was diagnosed with [[Hodgkin lymphoma]], Lemieux created the Mario Lemieux Foundation to fund medical research projects. Additionally, the foundation supports other organizations, including the [[University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute]], the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine, the Leukemia Society, the Lupus Foundation and the [[Children's Home of Pittsburgh]]. In 2007, he was among the well-known athletes who founded [[Athletes for Hope]], a charitable organization which helps professional athletes get involved in charitable causes and inspires non-athletes to volunteer and support the community.<ref>{{cite news |title=Agassi, Ali Launch Athletes for Hope |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/25/AR2007042502391.html |date=April 25, 2007 |access-date=February 22, 2013 |author=Melissa Murphy |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |archive-date=November 7, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121107145014/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/25/AR2007042502391.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

With their son, Austin, being born prematurely in 1996, the Lemieux family spent quite a bit of time in the hospital with Austin, including 71 days after his birth.<ref name="si2001"/> The family found that the older children didn't have a place to play in the hospital. Using the Lemieux Foundation resources, driven by Nathalie's idea and vision, founded a program called "Austin's Playroom Project".<ref>{{cite news |title=Nathalie's Vision |url=http://www.mariolemieux.org/main/austins-playroom-project/nathalies-vision/ |access-date=February 1, 2014 |publisher=Mario Lemieux Foundation |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140105172000/http://www.mariolemieux.org/main/austins-playroom-project/nathalies-vision/ |archive-date=January 5, 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The project builds play rooms in various hospitals across the US to give both children who are patients and their healthy siblings a place to play and "be kids" and concentrate on being normal and healing. On January 31, 2014, the foundation announced the opening of the twenty-ninth Austin's Playroom at the new Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton, Camp Pendleton, California.<ref>{{cite news |title=Mario Lemieux Foundation Announces Playroom Opening at Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton |url=http://penguins.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=703190 |date=January 31, 2014 |access-date=February 1, 2014 |author=Pittsburgh Penguins |work=The Pittsburgh Penguins website |archive-date=February 3, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140203121530/http://penguins.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=703190 |url-status=live }}</ref>