In 2018, 5-year-old Liam was just a regular hockey-loving, chess-playing kid. But after his mom noticed some bruising and expressed her concern to his pediatrician at his five-year well-child check, Liam’s life changed. On May 10, 2018, Liam was diagnosed with T Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, just a few days after his well check and started treatment almost immediately after his diagnosis.
Liam’s first 10 months of treatment were very intense. He had virtually no immune system and couldn’t attend school with his friends. Today, Liam is in maintenance, which means he does daily chemotherapy treatments at home and still sometimes has infusion appointments at Children’s. His End of Treatment date is anticipated to be September 10, 2021!
Recently, the Minnesota Wild chose Liam to be a part of their Hockey Fights Cancer campaign. Through this, Liam had the chance to spend the day with the Wild players and even be in a video shoot as a Hockey Fights Cancer All Star. Behind the scenes, he played knee hockey with his favorite player, Zach Parise. Parise even gave Liam his very own hockey stick! This day of filming with the Minnesota Wild was truly a dream come true.
Liam and his family attended the game against the St. Louis Blues on Nov. 2, 2019, where they watched this special edition intro video on the big screen. Seeing him become a Hockey All Star in full hockey gear alongside the team was a surreal experience for the whole family.
Each season, the Minnesota Wild joins forces with the National Hockey League and the National Hockey League Players’ Association for Hockey Fights Cancer, an initiative to raise money and awareness for hockey’s most important fight – the fight against cancer.
The Minnesota Wild also paid a visit to our patients and families in Minneapolis and St. Paul. During their visit, players brought pajamas and blankets to patients in the hospital, signed autographs and played games. This visit was part of the NHL’s Hockey Fights Cancer initiative. To learn more about the Children’s Cancer and Blood Disorder Program, click here.
