Epic game raises $1.5 in support of pediatric cancer research

Chestermere, AB – The fourth Hockey Marathon for the Kids skated into everyone’s hearts after an incredible 262 hours of continuous play that wrapped on April 16 — raising $1.5 million for pediatric cancer research through the Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation.

The scoreboard was high but to these 44 players, sporting injuries and sleep deprivation, the goal that mattered most was helping children with cancer.

“We are sore, injured, and physically and emotionally exhausted, but we all agree we would do this a thousand times to make sure every child battling cancer can go back home healthy,” says Alex Halat, Hockey Marathon for the Kids founder and captain of Team Hope. “Meeting so many incredibly inspiring children and their families who have gone through far worse than we have, has helped get us through the last 11 days. To us, they are the true heroes of this game.”

Funds raised through this year’s Hockey Marathon for the Kids will support the Pediatric Clinical Trials program at the Alberta Children’s Hospital. The program aims to double the number of children diagnosed with cancer who could benefit from a clinical trial and novel therapies, offering them hope for a better future.

“We are so grateful to these incredible players for enduring so much so that one day, children with cancer won’t have to. Their love and the sacrifices they have made will live on in our hearts and in the crucial work they are making possible,” says Darlene Haslam, Board Chair, Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation. “We thank these players, the organizing committee, the medical staff, the sponsors and of course all the donors, for coming together in such a powerful way for children in our community.”