Ottawa's hockey community, along with several NHL stars, came together Thursday night in support of one of their own.
25-year-old Ottawa native Chris Kushneriuk was diagnosed with cancer in June 2012.
The treatment he is receiving is considered experimental in Canada which is why had to go to Indianapolis, Indiana. But with no insurance in the United States, the bills for his treatment are racking up.
His friends said Thursday’s “Krush Cancer” charity hockey game was just one way they could help.
“It's good to see all these people out here,” said Andrew Hazard. "Chris is a good guy he'd do the exact same thing if it were for somebody else.”
“He’s super positive and very rooted in his faith which is probably a big thing for him, something that really helps him,” said Kushneriuk’s girlfriend Christiane Lalonde. “Physically he's very tired with the treatments which is expected but he's moving forward."
Many NHL players, including Claude Giroux and Marc Methot participated in Thursday’s game.
“We all know how good of a guy Kush is and he's one of the most genuine human beings I think I’ve ever met in my life,” said Ottawa Senators defenceman Marc Methot. “I’ve had the pleasure of meeting him over the last few years and what happened was so unfortunate and he's battling it right now so anything we could do to step in and help playing hockey is one thing we could take advantage of.”
Through fundraising initiatives Kushneriuk’s family says they’ve raised about $65,000 but the treatment could cost upwards of $300,000.
“My father had to sell off most of his assets, we were building a house, we had to sell that…just scraping together to get him better,” said Kushneriuk’sbrother Stefan.
But the main goal, he said, is bringing his brother back to Ottawa cancer-free.
“I'd like to get him home as soon as possible. I love the guy
If you’d like to help, you can follow the links posted on Kushneriuk’s website.
With a report from CTV Ottawa’s Katie Griffin
