Bobev Enjoys Unforgettable Week with Devils | FEATURE

Trevor Bobev walked to center ice underneath an uproar of applause from the sold-out crowd at Prudential Center. Wearing a purple Devils Hockey Fights Cancer jersey, the 7-year-old from Somerset, New Jersey held a puck in his hand in between Devils captain Nico Hischier and Flyers captain Sean Couturier. After a few photos, Bobev dropped the ceremonial puck as the crowd gave him a deserving hero’s welcome.

Bobev, who was diagnosed with Burkitt’s Lymphoma when he was 3, was the Devils’ honorary guest for their annual Hockey Fights Cancer Night presented by RWJBarnabas Health Saturday night against the Philadelphia Flyers.

Trevor got to join the players during their arrivals for the game, watched warmups from the bench, joined the team in the locker room pre-game for the starting lineup read, participated in the ceremonial puck drop and rode the Zamboni at intermission.

“Amazing because I can ride the Zamboni again and drop the puck,” he said ahead of his feeling before the game. “I get to meet a whole bunch of players.”

Bobev rode the Zamboni once before. At his very first hockey game at Prudential Center, Trevor was a guest in the RWJBarnabas suite and took an intermission lap on the Zamboni.

“I was like, ‘don’t get used to this. It’s a one-time thing,’” laughed Trevor’s father, Daniel. “I think they discovered that Trevor was a big fan, and it would only be a matter of time before he got to become the ambassador for Hockey Fights Cancer.”

It wasn’t hard to discover that Trevor was a big fan of the Devils. Everyone could hear it.

“During his time in the hospitals, he would be in his room and the nurses and staff on the floor would hear someone cheering from his room," Daniel said, "because Trevor would have the Devils game on and he was rooting for his favorite team.”

Trevor was treated at the Rutgers Cancer Institute, the state’s only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center together with RWJBarnabas Health under the care of Dr. Archana Sharma after the cancer was discovered.

“We noticed something was off with Trevor,” Daniel said. “During COVID, Trevor just started acting funny. He wasn’t his usual jovial self. He was 3 years old, so, he couldn’t tell us what was going on inside of him. But he just seemed moody, he just seemed off.”

Trevor began having difficulties at night. He cried often and began having trouble breathing. His parents, Daniel and Gina, realized that his stomach was really hard and had a vein – that they would later learn was feeding the cancer.

“He was extremely young so he couldn’t actually tell us that he was in pain,” Gina said. “We had to recognize the symptoms of something being a little off with him. We noticed he was uncomfortable, and his stomach was bigger than usual. Eventually we noticed it was hard.”

Daniel took Trevor to the pediatrician and they sent him immediately to the ER, where the cancer was discovered.

“We thought maybe it was appendicitis, something like that,” Daniel admitted. “When they told us that Trevor had cancer, it was just a shock to the system. I remember sitting there in the room and it’s kind of like in the movies when the doctor is telling you something and you’re zoned out. You have tunnel vision. It’s something you don’t expect to hear.”

Trevor began getting treatment, but he wasn’t alone. He not only had his friends, family, doctors, nurses and the hospital staff, but he also had Nico – a little plush cat doll.

“When they brought (Trevor) into the ICU, he was having trouble breathing and they wanted to put the oxygen mask on him,” Daniel said. “He didn’t want to wear the oxygen mask. So, they brought in this little cat plushie and put it on him first. That gave Trevor the confidence that he could put it on. He named the cat Nico. Nico went with him with all his treatments. Every time he went to the hospital, he had Nico by his side.”

Trevor’s love of hockey began because of his father’s fandom.

“I’m a long-time Devils fan. The games are always on in our house,” Daniel said. “Trevor was drawn in. We high five after the goals.”

Trevor doesn't just love hockey. He plays hockey. Trevor and his siblings began with the Learn to Skate program and that progressed into the Devils Learn to Play program.

“Skating is my favorite thing to do,” Trevor said. “The better way to help skate is holding a hockey stick because it helps you balance a lot. I like the equipment. The ice is cold, and you need equipment to keep you warm.”

Trevor, who also plays baseball and was even coached by MSG play-by-play announcer Don La Greca, has come a long way from his early diagnosis.

“It’s a very aggressive form of cancer. But thankfully a treatable one. It has a very good rate of success for cures,” Daniel said. “They’ve come up with amazing treatment courses over the last 10 years or so. The prognosis was good for Trevor. He just had to go through all the treatments and the hospital stays."

“They treated us like family,” Gina said of the hospital. “Everybody from the doctors, the nurses, the staff, were all tremendous for Trevor. That made it easier on us knowing that Trevor was in good hands the entire time. Some of them still check in on Trevor. That just shows they care. They’d go out their way to bring Trevor gifts, spending their own money.”

For families going through a similar situation, the Bobevs best advice is to not lose hope.

“The treatments have gotten way better over the last decade,” Gina said. “Don’t lose hope. Just keep fighting. Honestly, you’ll be surprised what you can do with all the advancements and treatment. We were scared but seeing what he went through and how he’s come out stronger, it was amazing.”

Now, Trevor is back to living life as a just a normal kid.

“Trevor is just a very dynamic individual. He is very competitive. He’s a little stubborn,” Daniel laughed. “But he’s a happy-go-lucky kid. He loves to compete. He loves sports. He’s funny. He has a really good sense of humor.”

Trevor got to show off some of his hockey skills for the Devils themselves. He attended the team’s practice last Tuesday. During that day, he signed a one-day contract with the team alongside hockey legend Martin Brodeur, was given an official team-signed jersey, his own locker stall, met the Devils players in the locker room prior to practice and watched the practice session from the bench.

After practice concluded, the Devils called on Trevor to come to the center ice dot and lead the team stretch. After, he skated with several players and took shots on goalie Jacob Markstrom. Trevor worked on his shot and passing with Nico – the hockey player, not the plush cat. That was all just the precursor to attending Saturday’s Hockey Fights Cancer game.

"Trevor was a fighter and he was brave the entire time," Daniel said. "Trevor was braver than us.

"We're just so happy that he's here today and he's doing great."