SUMMERLAND — It was the dream of 11-year-old Jack Edwards: to meet his favourite Canucks players and skate with them at Rogers Arena. He penned a heartwarming letter explaining why he should win Every Kid’s Dream experience, a contest sponsored by Save on Foods Canucks Fan Zone.
“I’ve loved the Canucks all my life. I watch the Canucks and the kids who get to skate with them. I think that’s so cool,” says the letter.
But Jack wasn’t making this wish for himself.
“My friend Brett Cerutti just got out of B.C. Children’s Hospital, fighting a rare disease. So if you pick him instead of me, that’d be so awesome,” the letter goes on to say.
When Jack wrote the letter, his best friend and hockey teammate, Brett Cerutti, was severely sick.
Brett’s mother explains her son was fighting a rare disease.
“It’s a macrophage. It’s where all the white blood cells eats all the good stuff and bad stuff,” explains Charene Cerutti.
While Brett was on his way to recovery, Jack learned his wish was going to be granted.
“I was freaking out. I couldn’t wait to tell him,” Jack exclaims.
But as challenging as it was, he decided to keep the surprise from his best friend. Brett’s family and the Canucks were all in on it.
During the big game, Jack finally told Brett, even explaining that Brett’s hockey gear was secretly packed.
“I kind of felt like I wasn’t really alive. When they told me, I didn’t really say much,” says Brett, recalling that speechless moment.
In addition to skating with his hockey heroes, he got to make memories that will last a lifetime.
“Dan Hamhuis was beside me and he asked me how I was doing. My helmet was stuck so he helped me.”
The boys also got keepsakes. They each received prized hockey sticks signed by all the players.
But perhaps the greatest gift was the gesture Jack made for his best friend. Every day, Brett expresses his gratitude.
Even though Jack watched the special experience unfold from the stands, he says it was even better than getting to skate with the Canucks.
“It makes me feel really nice when I see other people smile.”
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