RIP Julia Rowe

On Tuesday, some sad news rocked the Hurricanes players, coaches and fans. Young Julia Rowe, who was an inspiration for the team in their 2006 Stanley Cup victory, lost her life-long battle with Leukemia. Julia was just eight years old.

The Rowe family are neighbors with coach Peter Laviolette, and in 2006 he became very close with them. He was moved by Julia's strength as she fought off a very aggressive form of Leukemia. He started a crusade with the red "relentless" wristbands, which were sold at Hurricanes home games, raising more than $60,000. In addition, trainer Pete Friesen has raised over $42,000 for LLS through his annual 5K road race.

Luke Decock wrote a very nice article today about Julia's passing.

It was a bottle of wine donated to the team by Rowe's father and autographed by Julia that Sabres coach Lindy Ruff referred to as "champaign on ice" during games 6 and 7 of the 2006 ECF.

You can purchase a red "relentless" wristband here , or if you think that whole wristband thing is played out, you can still make a donation to the LLS of Eastern North Carolina by visiting this page.

Friesen's third annual "fun run" will take place on Sunday September 14, and information about it (including a registration form) can be found here.

Just a month ago, the Penguins community lost a young friend and inspiriation for their Cup run when 18-year old John Challis passed away after a life-long battle with cancer. Post-Gazetter has the story here.

Two seasons ago, the Senators had a heartbreaking loss during their own Cup run when three-year old Elgin-Alexander Fraser died from a form of childhood cancer called neuroblastoma. Here's how I relayed that story.

Hurricanes winger Justin Williams became friends with Julia's family, and he has been pretty shaken up. He was quoted by Chip Alexander:

It's really heart-breaking for someone so young to go so early... In her own way, she was a part of the team. She really touched our lives. It's an extremely huge loss for everyone.

My heart goes out to the Rowe family for their loss.

Hockey Fights Cancer night in Raleigh

October is Breast Cancer awareness month, and you've probably seen some of your favorite restaurants, bars and coffee shops donating a percentage of their October earnings to cancer research. The NHL is no different. You've probably seen the players wearing pink ribbon stickers on their helmets this season, and in the past you've seen players using pink sticks during October.
As part of the ongoing HOCKEY FIGHTS CANCER program, the Hurricanes will be offering discounted tickets to the October 22 home game against the Vancouver Canucks. Fans can receive up to $10 off the gate price of tickets, and up to $5 of every ticket sale will be used to fund cancer research agencies.
Click here for some details about how and where to purchase discounted tickets. By using a special "group ticket" request, fans can designate which of five local organizations. My personal preference is the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Even if you don't purchase a special ticket, and even if you don't do it right now, I suggest donating money to that cause.

See the Sedins! See Naslund! See Luongo! Support an excellent cause! Watch hockey!

Hurricanes contributions to LLS

On Sunday September 9, the Hurricanes will host the Second Annual "Pete Friesen's 5K Run With the Canes", which will benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Eastern North Carolina. Last year, the event raised more than $21,000. Several members of the Hurricanes team and staff will be taking part in the event, which is spearheaded by Strength and Conditioning coach Peter Friesen.

Since the Spring of 2006, the Hurricanes have taken LLS as their favorite charity when coach Peter Laviolette's next door neighbor Julia Rowe (then 6 years old) was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia for the second time in her young life. She became the inspiration for the "Relentless" campaign, which raised more than $60,000 for LLS and she was a rallying point for the team on the way to winning their first Stanley Cup.

This Spring, young Julia Rowe was named the "girl of the year" by the LLS of Eastern North Carolina. Bob Jackson, who is an executive with McDonalds, was named "Man of the year" by LLS of Eastern North Carolina by bettering five other local men in a competition to raise money in Julia's name.

Leslie Rutherford, the trophy wife of Hurricanes owner Jim Rutherford, was named "Woman of the year" by LLS of Eastern North Carolina when she beat three other women in a similar contest to raise money in the name of "boy of the year" Ryan Carasiti, who is just four years old and also has ALL.

Congratulations to Mrs. Rutherford for her hard work raising money for LLS. Best wishes to Julia Rowe and her family as she continues to battle Leukemia.

Congratulations also to Peter Friesen and to Peter Laviolette for their continued efforts to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

On a personal note, my maternal grandmother passed away this May after a 16 month battle with acute myelogenous leukemia (AML).

Here is a PDF file for the brochure to sign up for the 5k run.

There are a number of other ways to contribute to LLS, which is a fantastic organization.

Visit this page for details on how to purchase the red "Relentless" wristbands, individually or in packets of 10.

Visit this page for details on how to make a simple donation.

If you are Canadian, go here to donate to the LLS of Canada.

Additionally, you can contact your Senator or Congressperson and urge them to support increased federal funding for medical research not necessarily limited to human stem cell research.