For Vern Vaillancourt, he felt like a kid again.
The 56-year-old was going back to the ice rink to play the game he loved.
“I was eager but when it came down to getting to the rink I suddenly realized that I am kind of nervous,” Vern said.
“I wasn’t sure I had the physical strength in my legs, you know if I caught a bad edge or something, would I have the muscle to keep from going over and hurting myself that way.”
Vaillancourt started playing the game of hockey at the age of five here in the Gateway City and has been an avid old-timer hockey player for the past 16 years.
But when Vern was diagnosed with throat cancer about eight months ago, his life took a drastic turn away from the game he loved.
Vaillancourt underwent aggressive radiation, as the already slender Vaillancourt went from 165 to 129 pounds - pretty thin for a guy about six feet tall.
That rough time included Vaillancourt being fed through a feeding tube - which he says was awful to endure.
He says his prognosis is good; and good enough that his oncologist gave him the green light to go out and play hockey again.
“Getting that first all clear removed a huge amount of anxiety,” he admitted.
“I was concerned I’d have to get more radiation but they said don’t worry about that, you won’t ever get anymore radiation. There’s a maximum amount you can be exposed to in one area and I’ve had it,” he stated adding that he needs to wear a full cage to protect his now brittle jaw bone.
Vaillancourt says that stepping onto the ice with his friends again was a huge step in his healing process.
“I was eager to do it because part of recovery is getting your life back and hockey was a big part of my life, so I wanted to claim that back,” he said.
He says the hockey was good but perhaps it was the comradery in the dressing room that he had missed the most.
“They were all genuinely happy to see me there and maybe gave me a little bit of space just because of that,” admitted Vern who added that a few players jokingly offered to give him some of their weight.
Vaillancourt has been very open about this battle with cancer in that dressing room and even in social media.
“Everyone has their own journey but for me, I really needed to talk about it,” said Vaillancourt who is also a talented musician.
“I hoped that my experiences may enlighten other people or whatever it was just the way I needed to deal with it and as a result of that, I was contacted by several friends who I had no idea had been through similar struggles themselves.”
Vern still has to go back for appointments every three months for the next seven years to make sure the cancer is gone.
During those next few years, he hopes hockey continues to be a big part of his life.
“It’s important for my fitness, it’s important for my well-being,” he said.
“It has played a key part big part in allowing me to claim back my identity.”
