One of my favorite hockey players of all time, ol' Number 8 of the Boston Bruins, Cam Neely, was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame yesterday.
Cam had to wait for a while, as his career was prematurely ended by injuries, so it was shorter than the usual Hall of Fame career. But, man, he could play. He invented the hockey version of the 'power forward'. He could score, yes, absolutely; and he could pass. But he could also go into the corner and take your head off with a devastating body check. He'd also drop the gloves if he had to. Before Cam, there were 'physical, checking forwards' and there were 'offensive scoring/passing forwards'. Cam was both. He was a force; and, man, was he just flat-out fun to watch.
But it's what Cam has done since his career ended that's important, and why I'm bringing Cam to your attention today.
More on the flip.
While Cam was playing, he lost both of his parents, at relatively young ages, to cancer. So, what he did after he retired was to set up the Cam Neely Foundation.
The foundation has two sub-sections: the Neely House, and the Neely Cancer Fund. Both are affiliated with Tufts-NEMC (New England Medical Center) hospital, and Tufts-Floating Hospital for Children; in Boston.
The Neely House is a wonderful thing. It's just that, a house, entirely within the Tufts-NEMC hospital. It has 16 apartments. What it is is a place for the families, families of people in the hospital being treated for cancer. They can stay there while their loved ones are in NEMC being treated. They have other people going through the same thing to talk to; plus, there are professionals, like social workers, available to the families.
The Neely Cancer Fund focuses on research and treatment. There's a research part, a part that focuses on people giving stem cell donations, and a new thing they're building--a Pediatric Bone Marrow Transplant center. This is wonderful. It's going to be an entire wing at Tufts-Floating Children's for kids undergoing bone marrow transplants. There's space for the kids, plus rooms for the parents at one end of the wing, so they can be close to their kids going through a rough procedure.
So, in honor of Cam Neely making the Hockey HoF, I'm going to ask you to visit the Neely Foundation website and take a look around at the good work they do. And, while you're there, consider making a donation. The Neely Foundation is entirely self-financing by donations. It doesn't have to be a lot. A donation of $20 pays for one family to stay one night at the Neely House. Even I can afford twenty bucks.
This is important to me. I remember when my friend died of Leukemia. Her parents, while she was in the hospital, had to either rent a hotel room or drive an hour each way from home. And bone marrow transplants, if they'd been common in 1977, might have saved or at least prolonged her life.
No tip jar. No mojo. But this time, I'm going to beg for a reccommend. I never do that, but if this can be my first diary to ever get on the recommended list, I'll be thrilled. And I ask you all to take a look at the Neely Foundation, and all the good work they do.
Congratulations, Cam. You deserve it. And thanks.