BOCA RATON, Fla. – Fans of the Florida Panthers are dedicated and excited as their team is four victories away from winning the Stanley Cup.
For one fan, they’re much more than just a hockey team.
Back on April 25, 2023, Reese Garcia was diagnosed with an aggressive cancer, epithelioid sarcoma.
The then-18-year-old immediately needed chemotherapy.
“There’s a 50-50 chance it will come back, and if it comes back, it will be much more serious than the first time,” Garcia said. “I’m just hoping it never comes back.”
Garcia has been a major Florida Panthers fan since he was 6.
While in the hospital going through round after round of chemo, it was the Panthers that kept him going.
“I’ve had the same jersey since I was 6,” he said. “I wear it to every game.”
The team gave Garcia something to look forward to as the painful nights were made just a bit easier with a Panthers victory.
But last year’s playoff run did not end with a Stanley Cup championship. This year, the Panthers are back in the Stanley Cup Final and are looking to finish what they started last season.
“It would mean everything,” Garcia said.
A year later, the 19-year-old from Boca Raton is now in remission.
Garcia thinks back to his days in the hospital, decked out in full Panthers gear.
“It was the most comfortable,” he said. “Go Panthers!”