Strange how much life can change in five short years. One say you can be sitting on the couch, the next you could be sitting in an executives chair. One say you could be flying down the ice, and the next you could be receiving treatment for bone cancer.
It was just five short years ago that Drew Brown was named player of the year by the Ann Arbor News. Brown played forward on the Chelsea High School hockey team before transferring to Kent School in Connecticut, where he finished his high school hockey career.
In 2011, after a successful high school and prep career, Brown enrolled in Providence College in Rhode Island where he majors in marketing and plays forward.
It was only two weeks ago that the 22-year-old Chelsea resident was diagnosed with Ewing Sarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer.
In late March of this year, Brown entered the play-offs as a junior at Providence College when he started experiencing pain in his left thigh.
It wasn’t until he took a hit on the leg that was bothering him that he got it checked out. When an MRI revealed a suspicious tumor, Brown headed home to Michigan for further tests at the University of Michigan Health System.
Since the May 1 diagnosis, Brown has undergone agressive chemotherapy treatments that will last through the beginning of August. Doctors plan to operate on his leg at the end of August, which will involve replacing four to six inches of Brown’s femur with a cadaver bone.
A fundraising page has been started to help cover these expenses http://www.gofundme.com/crush-cancer-Team-Brown
A Pig Roast Fundraiser has also been scheduled for July 13th by the Chelsea Varsity Hockey program http://www.chelseavarsityhockey.com/
TJHN encourages any and all who can please give generously.
