HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — It was a Saturday of kids helping kids at the TGH IcePlex in Tampa. The Bulls Hockey Club was holding a Beat Childhood Cancer fundraiser after a player’s little sister, Davey Howell, was diagnosed with Neuroblastoma at just 17 months old.
“At the time, the news hit us like a ton of bricks, but at the same time, as a parent, really what you are is activated, and you are ready to do whatever it is you need to do,” said father, Dowlin Howell.
It was the most challenging year of their lives, but the Howells knew it would be ok because they had a whole hockey team alongside them to assist. Their oldest son Kellen, leading the way.
“We had conversations with him and had to explain, ‘your sister is sick and she has to go through some treatment,’ but these nine-year-olds really rallied together; they showed that they were mature beyond their years,” said Howell.
The team’s winning chant became, “Do it for Davey.”
“I had confidence she would get through it; what she was doing took more bravery than playing hockey, so we could do this for Davey,” said one player.
Davey’s story even caught the attention of the Tampa Bay Lighting, who donated several items to a silent auction fundraiser, raising more than $10,000 for the non-profit organization Beat Childhood Cancer.
“It's something a little unknown, that not a lot of the money that’s raised for cancer research is dedicated to childhood cancer, so we need organizations like Beat Childhood Cancer to boost those numbers,” said Howell.
“The coolest thing to me is kids are helping to save kids from cancer and that is my favorite thing in the whole world,” said Savannah Billett, Development Director for Beat Childhood Cancer.
The fundraiser was topped off with all the players wearing special gold jerseys for the game. Gold is the color of pediatric cancer.
“Tonight is the biggest night because our boys are going to recognize something bigger than the game, something bigger than themselves; they are going to represent Beating Childhood Cancer,” said Howell.
It didn’t matter what it said on the scoreboard; everyone in the arena was a winner, as Davey’s family announced she is now cancer free.
“They all rallied around us and we wouldn’t be here celebrating this kind of day without our hockey family,” said Howell.
