The 14th annual Duke Children's Teddy Bear Ball will be held at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 5, at the Durham Marriott at the Civic Center. All proceeds from the event benefit the Duke Children's Hospital & Health Center.

The Teddy Bear Ball has raised $1.9 million to support research, education and family-centered patient care at the Duke Children's Hospital & Health Center.

Media are invited to attend the event, which begins with a silent auction and cocktail buffet, followed by bidding on unique items donated by local businesses and sponsors. The evening continues with dessert, champagne and a live auction.

Former Duke patient Mary Conyers Tucker and her parents, Mary and Don Tucker of Raleigh, will be guests of honor at the Teddy Bear Ball. Mary, 15, a high school student at Saint Mary's School, Raleigh, was 13 years old when she was diagnosed with a rare malignant liver cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma, which covered 75 percent of her liver. Within months, she received a liver transplant at Duke.

For more information on the Duke Children's Teddy Bear Ball, call (919) 667-2578. For more information about Duke Children's Hospital & Health Center, visit http://www.dukechildrens.org.