Donor to Senators owner Melnyk cites Cup as motivation
Fandom can be a powerful thing -- powerful enough, even, to make a major sacrifice to help save the life of another.
Senators owner Eugene Melnyk underwent a life-saving liver transplant last week, and his doctors updated his situation at a press conference Thursday. According to his medical team, Melnyk and his liver donor -- who wished to remain anonymous after being identified as a match -- are both in stable condition and recovering.
The doctors relayed a message at the request of the donor, who obviously still has his heart in the right place: "The donor tells us the motivation was to help Mr. Melnyk return to good health to enjoy his family and friends and, most importantly, to bring the Stanley Cup home to the Ottawa Senators."
Most importantly, indeed.
Also of note is that the program director, Dr. David Grant of Toronto's University Health Network, said that of the 500 people identified as potential matches for Melnyk, more than 20 have decided to continue the donation process to assist another patient in need.
"Many lives will be saved as a result of this appeal," Grant said, "and we as a community should be very proud of these heroic and caring individuals."
Photo credit: Andre Ringuette-NHLI via Getty Images