Wednesday night I went to an NHL game and watched my Tampa Bay Lightning win against “our” arch rival for first place. I cheered, the crowd roared, and our team played well. As part of that experience, I had the privilege of enjoying the game with a family whose child is battling cancer and is a patient where I work. 
Following the game we visited with Vincent Lecavalier, now Captain of the Lightning, in an exclusive behind-the-scenes experience.
You see, “Vinny” is so committed to supporting children with cancer that his Vinny4 Foundation donated $3,000,000 to build a world-class cancer unit in my hospital.
When Vinny came into the holding room after the game for our visit, and that young boy recognized him (because he had visited the boy when he was in the hospital), his little face lit up, he smiled, and stretched out his arms and ran over to hug him…and hug him…and hug him. And Vinny leaned over and hugged him right back.
And I stood there. We all stood there. Watching this powerful moment. Suddenly the game didn’t matter, hockey didn’t matter, HR and Corporate strategy didn’t matter. Nothing in the world mattered.
All that mattered was that a boy who is fighting cancer so valiantly, wasn’t thinking about being sick.
He was hugging his hero, and nothing in the world was more important than that.
No Excuses.
pics of Vinny on the ice and on the “Vincent Lecavalier Pediatric Cancer and Blood Disorder Center” courtesy of vinny4.com
