EDMONTON- A young lacrosse player, who has fought and overcome cancer, has found a unique home with the Edmonton Rush Lacrosse team.
What started out as a terrible snowboarding accident ended up being a blessing in disguise for 13-year-old Nolan Yaremko.
Nolan’s journey started last February while on a snowboarding trip in Invermere. He was hit by a skiier and had to be rushed to hospital.
While in hospital, doctors discovered a large tumour in Nolan’s leg
After seeing doctors at the Stollery Children’s Hospital in Edmonton, Nolan was diagnosed with Ewing’s sarcoma- a rare childhood bone cancer.
The physically active boy went through months of aggressive chemotherapy and radiation, all the while missing his friends, family and lacrosse- a game he loves.
While going through treatment, a couple members of the Edmonton Rush learned that Nolan was a lacrosse player so decided to pay him a visit.
Aaron Bold and Jimmy Quinlin arranged to have Nolan and his family come to a few home games and meet the team, and it’s turned into a lasting relationship.
Under the wing of the team’s equipment manager, Marc Bourret, Nolan now spends upwards of 20 hours a week with the team, helping in the locker room and helping wherever he can.
“It’s been really great having Nolan with us. We were approached with the idea just before the season to have Nolan as part of our team and I knew a little bit about Nolan’s story from last year, and we thought it was a great idea,” Bourret said. “We give him lots of tasks and he really seems to have fun and he seems to enjoy being with the team.”
Nolan is now cancer-free, but he can no longer play lacrosse or any other contact sport, because the intense treatment he went through left his bones very brittle.
It’s been a huge change of lifestyle for Nolan, and while his position with the Rush may not be the one he had once dreamed of, it’s one he really enjoys and takes pride in.
“It’s been great because I’ve always wanted to play here. So now, even though I can’t play here, I’m on the field and, kind of, feeling like I’m part of a team,” Nolan said just before the Rush game Saturday evening.
The team says he’s an asset and absolute joy to be around.
“He’s not able to play lacrosse anymore, which I know he loves, so this gives him an opportunity to stay involved in the game,” Bourret said. “He’s a very inspiring young guy. I’m a father, I have three kids, and to see what Nolan’s had to go through in his life already is, it’s amazing that he’s so positive and so energetic.”
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