On November 10, the Buffalo Sabres took on more than the Minnesota Wild — they took on cancer at the annual NHL Hockey Fights Cancer game. The community came together to celebrate life and honor everyone who has been touched by cancer. Thousands of Sabres fans piled into KeyBank Center — and more tuned in at home — to see 13-year-old Sophia LaBorde drop the ceremonial puck at the start of the game.
Life changed for the LaBorde family in 2022 when Sophia was diagnosed with a rare form of pediatric liver cancer. Only one to five out of a million kids will be diagnosed with stage 4 fibrolamellar hepatocellular carcinoma, said her Roswell Park doctor, Ajay Gupta, MD, and the cancer had already spread to her lymph nodes and lungs by the time it was discovered.
“She is a champion,” Dr. Gupta said. “I think she is the embodiment of ‘celebrate life.’”
Sophia has continued her fight with relentless joy and courage through chemotherapy, surgery, radiation and immunotherapy treatments. She holds her head up high and lets her hope shine through.
By the end of the night, the Western New York community raised nearly $80,000 to support the most pressing needs at Roswell Park, spurring on critical cancer research and expanding compassionate patient care programs. Individually, we all play a role in the fight against cancer. Together, we can make an even greater impact.
Editor’s Note: Cancer patient outcomes and experiences may vary, even for those with the same type of cancer. An individual patient’s story should not be used as a prediction of how another patient will respond to treatment. Roswell Park is transparent about the survival rates of our patients as compared to national standards, and provides this information, when available, within the cancer type sections of this website.
