A hockey fan's observation ended up saving a life in the most unexpected way.
If you work in the NHL you expect the fans to be boisterous and loud. I mean that is hockey for you, part of the fun of watching a game live is the rowdy atmosphere.
But Vancouver Canucks assistant equipment manager Brian 'Red' Hamilton has said he owes his life to one small interaction with a fan behind the player's bench.
Advert
Back in 2022, Hamilton was clearing off the bench at the first-ever home game of the Seattle Kraken's against the Vancouver Canucks when a fan attempted to get his attention.
However, the pair were separated by plexiglass and both wearing face masks.
The woman had spotted a concerning mole on the back of Hamilton's neck and decided to take action.
Advert
Failing to get him to understand him she then wrote a message on her phone that ended up changing the life of the equipment manager.
She typed a note in large font on her phone and pressed it against the screen: "The mole on the back of your neck is possibly cancerous. Please go see a doctor!"
Amazingly, Hamilton didn’t pay her much attention, but the next day got his wife to take a look, and she admitted it was a weird shape.
He also had the hockey’s team physician who also didn’t like the look of mole and decided to remove it within days.
Advert
A biopsy revealed malignant melanoma in situ 2, meaning the cancer was only on the outer layer of the skin and was detected before it could become even more dangerous.
After realizing just how close he came to dealing with potentially devastating health issue, Hamilton took to social media to try and find the woman.
He shared a message on the NHL hockey’s team official page in hope that those in the community would be able to identify her.
The pair were eventually connected and the woman was identified as Seattle Kraken fan 22-year-old Nadia Popovici.
She claimed she had recognized the irregular mole from her time volunteering in hospitals.
Advert
The Vancouver Canucks later shared a sweet video of the pair meeting in real life and Hamilton made it clear just how much he appreciated the lengths Popovici went to warn him.
In a press conference, he said: “She didn't take me out of a burning car like the big stories, but she took me out of a slow fire. And the words out of the doctor's mouth were, if I ignored that for four to five years, I wouldn't be here."
To say thank you the team awarded her a scholarship for medical school in the fall.
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, contact the American Cancer Society on 1-800-227-2345 or via their live chat feature, available 24/7 every day of the year.
Gerrard Kaonga