Wednesday, January 26, 2011

SAVES FOR A CURE GAME THIS SATURDAY

The following news story was prepared for the Brockport Athletic Department by John Boccacino, Assistant Athletic Communications Director....


Former standout Brockport goalie Todd Sheridan (Edison, NJ) doesn't like to be called a cancer survivor.

Sheridan, now an assistant coach with The College at Brockport's ice hockey team, prefers to think of himself as someone who beat cancer. When Sheridan was just 20 years old and playing Junior B level hockey in Sarnia, Ontario, Canada, Sheridan was diagnosed as having Squamous Cell Carcinoma in both his tongue and his neck.

The news was devastating to Sheridan, who harbored hopes of one day playing Division I college hockey. Instead, Sheridan was diagnosed with cancer in 2005 and underwent surgery that May to remove 72 lymph nodes, as well as a piece of his tongue. During treatment, a feeding tube was placed in Sheridan's stomach, and his doctors informed him his hockey playing days were finished due to the limited mobility in his right arm from the surgery.

But despite his doctors' grim prognosis, Sheridan never wavered in his commitment to playing hockey again, and weeks after his 21st birthday (on Aug. 25, 2005), Sheridan made a triumphant return to the ice for his Junior B Sarnia Blast hockey team.

Even though, nearly six years later, Sheridan remains cancer free, he still thinks about all those people battling cancer like he did. Especially children.

That's the motivation behind Sheridan's non-profit charitable organization, Saves for a Cure, which Sheridan started in 2007. During his time receiving chemotherapy, Sheridan saw first-hand the strength that children living with cancer demonstrated while battling their illnesses. Right away, he decided that, when he beat cancer, he would do what he could to assist these youngsters in their fight against cancer.

Sheridan is hoping that this year's annual Saves for a Cure weekend can match or exceed the $10,000 in donations raised through the first three years. Brockport will take on Neumann University at 7 p.m. Saturday night inside Tuttle North Ice Arena during the third-annual Saves for a Cure game.

“For me, the hardest part of my cancer journey was seeing a kid waiting for chemotherapy treatment, and knowing that the kid, just like me, didn't do anything to get cancer, yet here they are, scared and not sure what's going to happen next,” said Sheridan, Brockport's all-time leader in goals-against average (3.07), career wins (29) shutouts (5) and saves percentage (.904), who posted the four-lowest GAA totals in school history.

“These kids need to know they have support, and that there are people outside of their family who care about them. I want kids with cancer to feel like myself and others who have beaten cancer are with them, every treatment. I want to be a part of their beating cancer for the rest of my life.”

This year's Saves for a Cure movement has gained momentum across the area, with Oswego and Morrisville joining Brockport in the fight against cancer. Morrisville's Saves for a Cure game is Feb. 5 against Plattsburgh while Oswego already conducted their Saves for a Cure game when it hosted Curry College on Jan. 8.

Brockport will be sporting special jerseys for this year's Saves for a Cure game. The Golden Eagles will don green jerseys with a Saves for a Cure logo on the front, a Brockport 'B' on the shoulders, and gold numbers on the back.

Outside of the ice arena Saturday night, Sheridan will be handing out flyers explaining what his Saves for a Cure movement is all about. There will also be a donation bucket for fans who want to give back.

“I beat cancer. There's a difference between surviving cancer and beating it,” said Sheridan, who places the words determination, spirit and support at the bottom of every Saves for a Cure document. “If I said I survived cancer, I'd be doing a disservice to the people that helped me in my fight, and I'd be doing a disservice to myself, too. I took a part in my beating cancer. It was another challenge, and now I want to officially beat cancer for the rest of my life.”­­

A day after the Saves for a Cure game, from 3 to 7 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 30 at Flash's Tavern, Brockport's Recreation Services, with help from Sheridan, is holding a pasta dinner to raise money for Saves for a Cure. Tickets to the dinner cost $10 and include pasta with meatballs, salad, bread and a non-alcoholic fountain drink.
To boost support for Saves for a Cure, all Brockport jerseys from the Saves for a Cure game will be auctioned off. The jerseys are available for auction beginning today and continuing through Sunday, Jan. 30 at 9 p.m.. Winners will be announced after 9 p.m. Sunday night, and will also be contacted via email to confirm delivery of the jersey.


The auction can be found online at http://bit.ly/gw069s, or the link can be found on the hockey web page.

In addition, at the pasta dinner, a "Chance Table" raffle will be conducted by Recreation Services to raise funds. Among the items being auctioned off: a copy of the DVD “Miracle,” signed by Jim Craig, the starting goalie on the United States' gold-medal winning 1980 Winter Olympic hockey team, a leather laptop bag, a jacket, a hooded sweatshirt, movie rental gift cards and assorted gift certificates from local businesses.