A Jersey, A Lion, and a Wish
Every once in a while, a moment comes along that reminds us there are things in this world that are much bigger than sports. This past Saturday at the Eastlink Centre, those in attendance to see the Islanders take on the Wildcats experienced one of those moments.
Marlie Orlowski brought fans to their feet as a crowd of 3,600 showed their support for her. Orlowski was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma last November, a day before her 12th birthday.
Make-A-Wish Canada’s P.E.I. branch was invited to Saturday’s game and given the opportunity to drop the ceremonial puck pre-game. Orlowski was named the Islanders’ honorary assistant coach ahead of Saturday’s game. Head Coach Jim Hulton welcomed her into the dressing room before the ceremony and presented her with the starting lineup card and a customized jersey. She fired the team up before they hit the ice and then proceeded to be welcomed to center ice for the ceremony.
What Orlowski wasn’t aware of ahead of the ceremony though, was that her wish, was going to come true. Islanders’ defenseman Marcus Kearsey was called to center ice after the ceremonial puck drop to present Orlowski with Roary. Roary is a cuddly stuffed lion who signifies that Orlowski is officially a part of the Make-A-Wish P.E.I. family and that her wish will be coming true.
“It was super great. She’s in the middle of her treatment right now, doing her fourth round of chemotherapy. Something like this is just a great boost for her during this treatment journey,” said Alex Johnson, a development officer with Make-A-Wish P.E.I. “We know Marlie is a big part of the hockey family and to have her involved with this was super important to us.”
Her wish may still be ahead of her, but Johnson noted it was still great to see how happy she was to leave the real world behind for a night and be back in the rink.
“She’s definitely super excited to be involved in Make-A-Wish. You could just see her face light up today being around the players and being accepted into the family officially. Hopefully, that will give her a little boost.”
Any families who are or were involved with the Make-A-Wish family were invited to the game as well. Two other little girls, Georgia and Hayden, who accompanied Orlowski to the game, had their wishes granted already. The wishes of a camper and a trip to Disney World came true for them and their families. Experiences that go to show the Make-A-Wish family takes good care and supports the children whose lives they help change.
Islanders’ head coach Jim Hulton recognized the impact Orlowski had on the team before the game.
“Having Marlie read out our starting lineup was a very special moment for all of us. Her courage in the face of real-life adversity is both admirable and inspirational. Marlie is an incredible young person and we are confident she will win this battle,” said Hulton.
For now, Orlowski will get to let her imagination go to work as she cooks up what her wish will be. The Charlottetown Islanders were hounored to have Marlie be a part of the team and will be thinking of her as she continues her battle.
Go Marlie Go!
