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doctor and several blood tests later , he was told something no one ever wants to hear : “ You have cancer . Stage 4 Hodgkin ’ s Lymphoma .”
“ If it doesn ’ t kill you it makes you stronger ,” he said . “ I was fatigued , I ’ d lost a lot of weight , and wasn ’ t at all feeling myself ,”
“ I couldn ’ t do the things I wanted to do . I was tired and laying down a lot . I had no idea what was in store for me . It hit me hard . At first I thought I ’ d be sick for a month or two and I had no idea what the chemotherapy was going to do to me . I mean , it knocked me out . It was challenging . After each treatment , treatments that took about three hours each , it took me about three days to recuperate .”
Putting hockey and his education on hold to battle cancer wasn ’ t something Shane ever thought he ’ d have to face . But dealing with it is what had to do and , by his own admission , he ’ s grown and become much , much stronger .
Perhaps , somewhat
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fortunately , his mom is a nurse and she brought a dose of reality , true love and caring into the Shane ’ s life . She played a major role in Shane ’ s battle to survive .
“ My mom was there and took care of me ,” he said gratefully . “ She wouldn ’ t sleep some times and would always be there to look after me . She is my hero and the most special person in the world . “ My friends helped me too . The Canucks GM – Gavin McLachlan -- would come over to talk about my struggles and life . He was and still is a huge part of my fight against cancer . I played a lot of video games and got a lot of texts from my teammates . My girlfriend , Destiny , is the greatest . She took me to most of my appointments and stayed with me throughout my battle .”
Shane ’ s perspective on life has obviously changed . Of course , a battle against cancer will do that .
“ I ’ m more concerned about my health , what I eat , and the need to stay in shape and work out ,” he said . “ It ’ s important and opened my
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eyes to things I was never really concerned about .”
“ I now know I can handle things and it ’ s made me a lot stronger .”
There were a number of special people with whom Bigourdin connected . These were the people who helped Shane throughout his battle -- Hematologist Dr . Leonard Minuk and the many nurses at CancerCare Manitoba .
In all , it was a tiring , frightening and often brutal battle , but as Bigourdin says himself , hockey is one of the most aggressive and at times brutally tough games to play . After beating Stage 4 Hodgkins , getting back into the game didn ’ t come without some concern .
“ I ’ m going to try my best to be the same player I was before ,” he said earlier this month . “ I ’ ve got to get my cardio and strength back . I ’ ll start on the fourth line ad I understand that . I ’ ll play hard and try to get back . Both captains – Tyler Meixner and Wyatt Kemball -- have been a big help . I ’ m motivated by the love of the game , that sense
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of freedom I get just hanging out with my hockey friends .”
Not surprisingly , Shane ’ s battle with cancer has put a hold on his goal -- finishing his degree in education . He ’ s currently working at Tim Horton ’ s and intends to work hard talking and motivating people to keep fighting against this dreadful disease . However , Shane ’ s looking forward to getting back to school and if things go the way he hopes , he fully intends to play in the MMJHL for two more seasons .
Interestingly , Mario Lemieux , one of the greatest players in the history of the game , beat the same form of cancer that Shane just fought .
“ When I was diagnosed my mom , who is a big Penguins ’ fan , said to me that Mario and me are kind of the same now ,” he said . “ I thought that was kind of funny . But we ’ ve both survived . He made his comeback and I ’ m making mine . That was a funny moment .”
Shane plans to be there for others fighting cancer , just to show people fighting like he did , that cancer can be beaten .
This month , the NHL has come together for its annual initiative , Hockey Fights Cancer . Together , the hockey community looks to inspire hope and courage for those who are living with , going through and moving past cancer .
Shane Bigourdin , No . 19 with the MMJHL ’ s St . James Canucks is living proof that by being brave , strong and , at times , openminded and realistic , cancer can be beaten . The fact that Bigourdin picked up a roughing penalty in his return to the game , demonstrates that he ’ s back . And he ’ s a cancer survivor who is not afraid to mix things up . ❍
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110 | GAME ON | DECEMBER 2017 |