In 2017, I successfully battled leukemia thanks to a world donor and a stem cell transplant. Unfortunately, the cancer has returned for a rematch.

It is with profound sadness that I announce that my cancer has returned.

I have been informed that the leukemia that I beat in 2017 has relapsed. I will be spending the next several days trying to find the inner strength that I need for another fight, and will have a more…

— Dobber (@DobberHockey) October 19, 2023

Those who follow me on X and Facebook would already know about this news, and here are more details.

I need another stem cell transplant.

There are profound differences in the treatment of leukemia between 2017 and today, all of them for the better. The cancer needs to be beaten down to remission before we can begin preparation for a stem cell transplant. Back in 2017, this meant being admitted to hospital for five weeks. Today, they can treat this with pills and I can stay at home. I would still need to go to the hospital multiple times per week for blood checks (and blood transfusions), but there's something to be said about being with my kids every day (they were six and eight in 2017, and are 12 and 14 today), sleeping in my own bed, and not dragging around an IV drip everywhere I go (such as the bathroom, or going to bed).

In 2017, there was a lot of stress and worry about whether or not a donor would be found that is a 100% match. I ended up finding two matches. Today, this isn't as much of a worry as there are millions more people registered to donate stem cells.

Side Note – if you're between the ages of 17 and 35, registering is easy. Fill out a form on the website and they'll mail you saliva swabs. Just swab and send it back. That's it!

In Canada, you can register here

In the USA, you can register here

And, for any age, you can always give blood. In 2017, just ballparking it, but I'm pretty sure I had over 100 blood transfusions. I can expect similar now. It takes over 100 people to provide that, so you can see how important giving blood can be. My blood type, for what it's worth, is A-positive, but that will change to whatever the blood type is from my future stem cell donor.

What's Ahead, Personally

Ideally, I'll be treated as an outpatient for 6-10 weeks. Not-so-ideal would be if after a few weeks they determine that I need to be admitted for an extended hospital stay. Whatever achieves remission, it has to be done.

After that, likely in January, I will be admitted for what will be a week of preparing my body for the stem cells. Then I get the stem cells. After that, it's three-to-four weeks recovery in hospital where hopefully those stem cells turn into good bone marrow and my body accepts them. Then it's months of recovery back home.

Impact on Dobber Sports

DobberHockey is in the capable hands of Ian Gooding, with a lot of help from Michael Clifford. I'll still do my best to get monthly rankings in, or I'll pass them off as needed. I strongly recommend that you follow Ian on X (here) and Cliffy on X (here). Alex MacLean (on X here) will also play a big role these next few months, and we are hiring another associate editor.

DobberProspects is in the capable hands of Peter Harling. He pretty much does everything there anyway, and has things purring like a kitten.

Goalie Post is in the capable hands of Michael Amato and my lead programmer Riasat Al Jamil. The app is launched, fixed, fixed again, and upgraded. It's now a beautiful thing – so slick and responsive. I highly recommend you download the app and explore. I guarantee you'll use it most days this season.

Fantasy Hockey Geek is in the capable hands of Steven Lorini and my lead programmer Riasat Al Jamil. This is slower times for that site, and it pretty much runs itself now that draft season is over.

Dobbernomics is a site that is also running on its own and doesn't need a lot from me. I had a lot of innovative ideas and the programmer is still working on them. But new ideas and further focus may take a bit of a step back. Much like with the Goalie Post app, Dobbernomics is now running very well thanks to Al Jamil.

Frozen Tools has been humming along nicely, with Eric Daoust at the helm – and he'll continue to do so.

Midseason Fantasy Hockey Guide

The release date for this will be Friday, January 12, 2024.

What more can you do?

Besides registering as a stem cell donor (or urging others to do so, if you're too old), and donating blood? There is nothing more you can do for me, though I appreciate all the kind words and personal sentiments. I'm getting lots of support from friends, family and the community in terms of rides, dinners, etc. The world may seem messed up at times, but most people are genuinely kind and good.

Downloading my new apps obviously would help make Dobber Sports a stronger, healthier network for when I emerge from this battle victorious. Look for "Goalie Post" and "Dobbernomics" in the app store, and of course rate and review. I won't be able to market these as well as I normally would, so your rating and review would help do the marketing for me.

More Information

This is a fantasy hockey site first and foremost, and I won't be providing a lot of updates here, nor on my main Twitter feed. I will have more updates on my personal Twitter (here). In 2017, I documented everything in an online journal here. Hoping to have the strength and motivation to do it again and continue/resume this journal to inspire others here in 2023.

For historical context, here is my post from 2017 on DobberHockey.

Thank you again for your support.

This is who I’m fighting for…