Staal: What Hockey Fights Cancer means to me

Growing up, my brothers and I dreamed of one day playing in the NHL. We also knew that once we got there and found our footing, we would like to do something more.
I believe most people today know somebody who has battled cancer. My family is no different. Our experience inspired us to start the Staal Family Foundation in 2012 to raise money for families of children who are fighting or have fought the disease.
We lost my sister-in-law, Tamara, to a rare form of liver cancer in 2010. She had recently married and moved to Edmonton with her husband just prior to her diagnosis. She fought bravely for about three years before her passing and inspired us with her positivity through it all.

Watching her battle put life in perspective. You learn there are plenty of people dealing with situations they never asked for. It taught me to cherish every day because it can happen to anybody at any time.
It also opened our eyes to what families experience when a loved one is fighting cancer. We saw our foundation as an opportunity to give back to worthy causes and support those families.
You meet so many people that make it worth it along the way. Some of the funds we raised have gone to an organization called Camp Quality, a program in Thunder Bay that is essentially a summer camp for children and families dealing with cancer. I will always remember meeting a mother and father whose daughter attended the camp and seeing their emotion when they described what it meant.

Supporting causes like that is truly one of the gifts of being a professional athlete. Even something as simple as the hospital visits the team does here at Roswell Park go such a long way. Especially for the families who are hockey fans, it's a treat to break up their routine, bring them some gifts, and hopefully put a smile on their face. It always keeps things in perspective for us players, too.
It is a privilege to fight for those families not only during Hockey Fights Cancer month, but each and every day of the year.