I am raising awareness about childhood cancer and money for childhood cancer research because I want to help find safer and more effective treatments for kids with cancer.

Over the past 4 months I have been part of the Jr. Avalanche team. As our team became more involved with the Avalanche organization and held ourselves to a high standard while wearing the A, we started to see that the Avalanche was about more than just hockey, but also about community, and giving back. In particular, we were following a story about Matt Duchene and his support for a brave young girl, Haven Anderson, and charities that help fight childhood cancer.

Duchene met Haven at a Hockey Fights Cancer event in October of 2014 and among other things accompanied Haven to the Avalanche fashion show in March 2015 and is currently auctioning off the skates he wore during the Stadium series game to raise money for childhood cancer research.

When we learned about Haven’s story we were inspired and wanted to find a way to help kids with cancer. As it turns out, it is a pretty small world. One of our defensemen, Sergio, has a Mom who taught, Justin Miller, who died of neuroblastoma in 2015 and our Head Coach, Sean Leonard is close friends to the family of Tuesday Whitt, who died from neuroblastoma early in 2009. All of them are honored kids at St. Baldrick’s.

Just 7 years ago, only about 50% of children with nueroblastoma survived 5 years or more with the funding of research through St. Baldrick’s and other organizations the 5 year survival rate is now bout 80%! In 2015, an amazing, 74% Of St. Baldrick’s donations went directly toward that lifesaving research!

We need your help! Will you make a donation? Every dollar makes a difference for the thousands of infants, children, teens, and young adults fighting childhood cancers.