Four-year-old Hannah Day was set to be front-and-centre Tuesday when the Victoria Grizzlies hockey team announced a fundraiser on her behalf, but the young leukemia patient had just returned to B.C. Children’s Hospital in Vancouver for further treatment.
Hannah was diagnosed with leukemia in early December, in the wake of a 16-month battle against a rare form of cancer called rhabdomyosarcoma that affects muscle tissue. The leukemia is believed to have been caused by the chemotherapy used to treat her original condition.
Grizzlies general manager Pete Zubersky, part of a new ownership group for the organization, said the team will be donating $5 per ticket sold for each of its next 10 home games to the Langford girl and her family. The effort, dubbed Happy Day, begins Saturday and runs though March 1.
“We are targeting selling 10,000 tickets to this fundraiser,” Zubersky said. “I think that we’re going to blow through 10,000 tickets, that’s what I really believe. If we can sell 1,000 tickets to 10 games, that will be $50,000.”
He described Hannah as “someone who’s dear to our heart because she’s close, she’s in our community.”
Brooke Ervin, Hannah’s mom, called the Grizzlies an amazing group. “They’re doing such a great job.”
She said extra funds will go a long way toward helping the family.
“The toughest part in dealing with a child with cancer is you’re always worried about your finances,” Ervin said. “Nobody can work. I live in Victoria and I have to stay here [in Vancouver, where Hannah is being treated].”
She expects the latest stay in Vancouver to last at least until Monday.
Saturday’s game will also feature a visit to Bear Mountain Arena from a Bottle Depot truck, which will serve as a collection point for bottles and cans from 6 to 8 p.m. All proceeds will go to the fundraising effort.
The Grizzlies want to help Hannah’s family with the growing costs of travel and other expenses associated with being in Vancouver for hospital stays, Zubersky said. But what Hannah really needs is a stem-cell transplant, and the fundraiser will also let people know about the need to get tested to see if they are a match, he said.
“This is an aggressive fundraising initiative, but more important is the awareness about donors,” he said. “The next three to six months are crucial for this child to live.”
Zubersky said locating a donor will be “like finding a needle in a haystack,” and he hopes the community will get involved. Donors should be in the 17- to 35-year-old age range, and healthy, athletic males are prime candidates, Zubersky said.
It is important for everyone, both inside and outside the Grizzlies organization, to do what they can, Zubersky said.
“Our players get to play a game,” he said. “The game is part of the national fabric and we take it serious as Canadians, but we have to put it into perspective when you hear the Hannah story.”
Grizzlies captain Mark McLellan said all the players were touched when they heard Hannah’s story. They recently met Hannah, her mom, little sister Hailey and dad Robert Day.
“Hearing about a little girl who’s battled cancer for the last two years, it has the capability of reducing teenage hockey players to tears,” McLellan said. “It’s a tough situation to be brought to, but we’re certainly honoured to be part of this.”
Registration as a stem-cell donor is done through the OneMatch Stem Cell and Marrow Network. For more information, go to onematch.ca.
http://www.AngelsforHannah.com
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