No one ever thinks of themself when they hear the word cancer and in 2002, my name would become synonymous with the word.  I was coming home from practice when I noticed a golf ball sized lump under my arm, within one week, the lump grew to softball sized and I developed what was seemingly the flu. – I distinctly remember laying in bed recovering from such flu and hearing the footsteps of my parents walking up the stairs. The footsteps were heavy, and slow. They walked into the room, sat down on the bed next to me, and told me we needed to talk. I perked up and sat there waiting to hear what was so important.. did I do something wrong? There was a long pause and I looked back and forth at my parents wishing they would just spit something out. Then it came. My mom said, “Jonathan, someone in the family has cancer.” I sat up further, and at this point complete and utter confusion set it… “Ok” I said, “Who?”.  She took a deep breath “Jonathan, you have cancer.” At this point, I didn’t know how to process it. I just looked at my parents. My mom was crying, and my dad was fighting back the tears himself. That was when I realized that this was serious and I looked at my dad and said, “Am I going to die?” A single tear rolled down his cheek, followed by another, and another, and another. He looked at me and said “I don’t know.” We all fell forward into each others arms, and that’s all we had in that moment. At least…. That’s what we thought. 

For the next 13 months of chemo, my family became battle tested. Chemo made me so sick, and so weak, that I would be unable to walk. I had an opportunity to read my mothers memoirs from that time. She said, “my son hurts so bad, I go to the cellar and begin to sob. I’m all alone and I tell the lord that he can have him… I can’t watch him fight this war anymore. I love him too much to watch him suffer. I guess you need a soldier, he’s yours.” --- Although every day brought its own challenges, each step of the way, things began to get better and every step of the way we were introduced to people that wanted to help. We weren’t alone.

It was through organizations like Roswell Park, Make-a-wish, Leukemia-Lymphoma, and the 11-day powerplay that allowed my family to heal.  More importantly it is through people like you, family, friends, and strangers alike who showed us love, compassion, and the ability to see the light when there was nothing but darkeness around us.   It is through these foundations that gave me a strong desire to help others, like me, who are in need. 11-day powerplay is another vehicle that has afforded me the opportunity to support and help others. 

If you feel the desire to donate to this cause, it would be greatly appreciated. If not, that’s ok too, all I ask is to show your kindness and support to someone that is in need. 

This summer, more than 2,500 pairs of skates will hit the ice to play in the 2019 11 Day Power Play Community Shift to help in the fight against cancer! The 11-day game will be played in continuous shifts at Harborcenter in Buffalo, NY. This important event supports The 11 Day Power Play, raising critically-needed funds for cancer research and wellness programs at Roswell Park, Camp Good Days and Make-A-Wish WNY. While it is physically challenging to play in a marathon hockey game, it's a walk in the park compared to what most endure in their battle against cancer. Cancer is a disease that touches everyone, and The 11 Day Power Play wants to make an impact in our community. In the past two years, The 11 Day Power Play has raised nearly $2.5 million supporting cancer causes in Western New York.

Donations are graciously accepted online or by check. Please write checks out to 'The 11 Day Power Play' and send to PO Box 4, Buffalo, NY 14223. If you are interested in a sponsorship, contact Sara Schumacher today.

To learn more about the 11 Day Power Play organization, visit www.11daypowerplay.com and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.