In a detailed letter titled "To My Golden Knights Family", 24-year-old defenseman Shea Theodore revealed he was diagnosed with testicular cancer three months ago.
"I'm usually not the most outspoken guy in the world, and this is a tough thing to open up about….. so please bear with me," Theodore writes in his essay. "
Theodore writes that directly after winning the Silver Medal with Team Canada at the World Championships in Slovakia, he was pulled aside in the locker room and told he had failed a drug test.
"They explained to me that the hormone that triggered my specific failed test was called hCG, and that it's usually only found in women during pregnancy. But then they explained that in some cases, hCG can be a sign of testicular cancer. "
After getting home, he underwent more tests, and received the earth-shattering news.
"My doctor was just super calm and straightforward about it. Which should have made me calm, I guess — but when you find out that you have cancer, nothing can prepare you. Now I was scared. And now it was time for the toughest part: having to call my girlfriend and my parents to tell them the news."
After telling his girlfriend, Theodore says the pair decided to go to Vegas and break the news to his friends and teammates. He says the support he received was amazing. Before getting ready for surgery, he decided to take some time and golf with a friend at Shadow Creek. Of all the people in the world, he runs into Phil Kessel, who underwent his own battle with testicular cancer.
"I guess you'd think that I'd have told him what I was going through, and asked him a million questions about his surgery and recovery — but I actually didn't say one word to Phil about it. I just said what's up, and we talked for a bit….. and he couldn't have been nicer. But for some reason, I couldn't bring myself to tell him what was going on."
However, the morning after his surgery, he received a text from Kessel after Theodore's agent told him about the situation.
"He sent me a really nice text wishing me luck and telling me that everything was going to be O.K. To hear that from somebody who had been through it himself, and come out the other side not just healthy, but a superstar player in this league, it meant so much to me."
Theodore also states Max Pacioretty and his wife set up a three-day meal service sent to his house following the surgery " so I didn't have to worry about anything while I was stuck on the couch."
He ends his essay by saying he's made a full recovery and he's being monitored for any signs that the cancer is returning, and encourages others to see their doctor and get tested themselves. He never states one way or the other whether he'll be at training camp. One would think he needs more time to rest before getting back on the ice.
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