"It got him through radiation too," mom Brigitte said. "We played it over the loud speaker and he would just sit there and breathe and listen to those drums and the song and it helped him get through where it was really hard when he was really sick and had to sit still.
"He rocked it."
Ben was first diagnosed with leukemia in 2018 at the age of 3. Two years of treatment and it looked like Ben had beat it. But in December 2021, migrating pain led him back to his oncologist where they discovered the cancer once again. The family had all been tested to see if any of them would be a match for a bone marrow transplant. Big brother Isaac, 12, was. The family is now in the home stretch of the transplant stage, with Ben able to return to a semi-normal 8-year-old life which includes attending school and even playing with his Farmington hockey team.
It also allowed him to be the official BMO flag bearer during the Wild's Hockey Fights Cancer Awareness presented by HealthPartners Cancer Care on Sunday.
"It was so cool," said Ben, who currently switches between goaltender and forward with his Tigers team. "I was a little nervous, but it was really fun."
Ben was just one of many cancer warriors taking part in Sunday's night of celebration. Tiny fist bumps from eight Pinky Swear kiddos lined the tunnel as Wild players made their way to the ice. Former Gopher football placeholder Casey O'Brien, now in his 6th battle with cancer, made the 'Let's Play Hockey' call to kick off the game. And smatterings of lavender from warm-up jerseys to signs and fan attire were seen throughout the rink.
"It's just nice to be able to put a smile on people's faces at a time when they probably don't smile a lot," said Wild Director of Community Relations and Hockey Partnerships Wayne Peterson. "One of our missions is to create a greater State of Hockey and today is one big example of how we do that.
"We have a lot of great organizations here today that help with the fight, and we have a lot of individuals here today that are fighting the fight themselves. It's one of my favorite nights of the year, especially with the kids. They just want to be a kid. They don't want to feel any different."
O'Brien has lived most of his life thrust in the cancer battle. Diagnosed with Osteosarcoma at 13, the now 23-year-old relapsed after doctors found a cancerous spot on his lung.
"It definitely gets frustrating," said O'Brien, who will have surgery to remove the cancer on Wednesday. "But for me, I have too much fun being alive. The other choice is not being alive, so I just say, 'what do we gotta do.'"
O'Brien admits he felt the nerves ahead of the public announcement to start the game but they immediately dissipated when he heard the cheers of support.
"It's a special night. And I'm thankful for the Wild doing this for everyone who is a part of the cancer community. Everybody knows somebody fighting cancer, and to get to be around people who are going through it too and get to share stories and feelings, it's just a special night."
"We get to make these incredible moments for people who've been through a really difficult time," said Rachel Schuldt, Executive Director of the Minnesota Wild Foundation. "It's why we (the Minnesota Wild Foundation) exist. It's meaningful to our players, our fans and our community. It's just an all-around good feeling, fun night."
