Every year around this time, all NHL employees receive a sign for the start of Hockey Against Cancer Month.
There’s light lavender writing with the words “I FIGHT FOR” and then a blank space for the names of people we know affected by cancer. Unfortunately, last year my card was pretty much full. From my father, who I lost to pancreatic cancer in 2008, to my friend Steve Kelly, who died of the same form of cancer in 2015, to several friends and relatives who were abducted.
The list keeps growing.
Worse still, even before the end of last November, I needed a new card.
About a week before Thanksgiving, my brother-in-law, Dan Tracey, was diagnosed with glioblastoma, a brutal and unforgiving form of brain cancer. He died in August at the age of 59.
It clearly affected me, my wife and our whole family, but I know that Dan’s story, unfortunately, is not unique. Cancer does not discriminate. From a professional athlete like Oskar Lindblomnow from the San Jose Sharks, to my father and brother-in-law, to little kids, it affects and can affect anyone at any time.
That is why Hockey fights cancer month, which starts today and ends in November, is so important to me and to the whole League.
It’s about more than the 32 teams hosting Hockey Fights Cancer nights, wearing purple jerseys and duct tape on their sticks, it’s about raising awareness of all forms of cancer and raising funds to support cancer programs. fight against cancer at local and national levels, cancer research institutes, children’s hospitals, player charities and local charities. A statement sent by the NHL today says Hockey Fights Cancer is having an even more pointed impact – focusing specifically on the human experience and supporting families, caregivers and individuals going through, living with and overcoming cancer. through various services of and by our charitable partners.
In short, the money is used to help everyone affected by cancer, because I have learned over the past few years that while the person with cancer is clearly the most affected, they are not the only one.
Take Dan’s story.
Dan was diagnosed around last Thanksgiving when co-workers and family started noticing he was acting weird. He stared at his phone for hours when he was supposed to be working. One day he went to another office in his company saying he had received a text message to be there. He hasn’t received an SMS. When he was diagnosed, he had 12 to 18 months left to live. He did it for 10 months, but by no means did he live all that time.
The first few months he seemed to be fine, but he and his wife had to commute to New Jersey from Jackson to Hackensack and back, sometimes five days a week a few weeks in a row, for treatment and clinical trials. In addition to the heavy chemotherapy and radiation therapy he was undergoing, the 90-minute journey each way took a toll. His wife, Sue, and their daughter, Kristen, had to take time off from work, which resulted in a decrease in their income. Their whole life has been turned upside down. He was able to take a trip to Universal Orlando in May for his son DJ’s birthday, but after he got back it slowly went downhill and in early August the family set up a home hospice so he could spend his last days. there with a helper coming home. Doctors at one of the nation’s top cancer centers were no match for her cancer. He died about a week later, spending the final days bedridden in a near-comatose state.
It was no way for anyone to live, and no way for anyone to die.
Dan Tracey (second from right), at the Little League World Series with his son, DJ (right), nephew Tanner Price (left) and brother-in-law, Bill Price, editor head of NHL.com.
Sadly, there are tens of thousands of families like Dan’s, struggling to get treatment or coping with the loss of a loved one. And every little bit of money and awareness raised during Hockey Cancer Month helps.
So if you see your team hosting their Hockey Fights Cancer night, take the opportunity to help out. Buy a themed sweater or any gear, or just donate, or at the very least gather some information so you might be able to help someone you know who is affected by cancer.
On NHL.com, we’ll be highlighting team activations throughout the month with our daily Hockey Fights Cancer digest, and also telling the stories of players and team staff affected by cancer in another awareness effort. to the many horrible forms of cancer.
It’s not just the fight of the NHL and the NHLPA. You see other leagues raising awareness as well — the NFL has Crucial Catch, MLB has Stand Up 2 Cancer, and MLS has Kick Childhood Cancer.
You may not know anyone affected by cancer, and that’s great, but I’ve learned over the years that it can strike anyone at any time, so it’s a fight we all need to be part of. . This month, hockey is fighting cancer, and it’s a fight we all need to be in, and one we can’t afford to lose.
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