A Survivor at Every Rink: Los Angeles Kings

Los Angeles, CA. USC lung cancer survivor-advocate Jeff Julian represented Team Draft at the Staples Center on Saturday night. Jeff and his wife, Kristine, watched the LA Kings defeat the visiting Edmonton Oilers, 6-4. ‪#‎ASurvivoratEveryRink‬ ‪#‎TeamJeff‬ ‪#‎LCSM‬

“Hope and Optimism is not about the result and should not be impacted by past results. To put it another way, it’s not really about yesterday or tomorrow, even though it may seem like it is because that’s what you are hoping for in the end. I believe that Hope and Optimism should be there for TODAY. Hope and Optimism is there for how we live our lives, not for what we achieve in life. Don’t be afraid to be hopeful, even in the most dire of circumstances. And never allow yourself to lose the optimism that things can be better, no matter how challenging it might have been in the past. Let yourself live your life, on a daily basis, with the hope and optimism that will allow you to truly enjoy your life and find the strength to get through anything that may come your way.” ~Jeff Julian

Jeff is the Head Swim coach at the Rose Bowl Aquatics Center in Pasadena, CA.

Given the overwhelming success of our Survivor at Every Stadium initiative, in 2012, we expanded it beyond the gridiron to the ice through our Survivor at Every Rink initiative. As part of Team Draft’s National Campaign to Change the Face of Lung Cancer, this celebration of survivorship raises awareness, gives hope to those battling the disease and shines a light on the important work being done at cancer research and treatment centers across North America.

Through our Survivor at Every Rink initiative, we are working with all NHL teams to have a lung cancer survivor attend one of the team’s home games as a part of their national initiative, Hockey Fights Cancer!

Team Draft’s goals are to create a unique experience for participating survivors and to raise awareness on a local, national, and international level by using each game and each survivor’s story to weave a broader narrative about the state of cancer and the hope that now exists for those battling the disease.

Special thanks to the LA Kings, Kelly Cheeseman, Kadar Hamilton, USC Norris Cancer Center, the NHL and our Team Draft supporters for helping make this experience possible.

Donate now to Support the National Campaign to Change the Face of Lung Cancer!