Hockey families rally to help 'Marissa the Fierce' battle brain cancer
6-team benefit organized for 14-year-old Marissa Gootjes of Quispamsis
New Brunswick families with children in minor hockey are coming together in Quispamsis on Saturday night to support "Marissa the Fierce."
That's the nickname for 14-year-old Marissa Gootjes, who will be spending this winter getting brain cancer treatments in Halifax, instead of playing defence with the Kennebecasis Valley Minor Hockey Association Bantam Senators.
A six-team benefit game will raise money to help Marissa and her parents, Jan and Jim, as well as Marissa's two sisters, nine-year-old Charlotte and 12-year-old Madelyn.
"I think it's their way of just showing support to us, as sort of the crazy hockey family community," said Jan.
"I think the biggest goal is to put a smile on Marissa's face and let her have a fun night with her friends."
Totally unexpected
Marissa was visiting with friends on Thanksgiving Sunday when she suffered her first seizure.
"Suddenly, a text comes across and it says, 'Mom, come get me now, please,'" said Jan.
Jim arrived within minutes to find his daughter lying on the floor, unconscious. She had been vomiting and appeared to have difficulty breathing.
Marissa can't remember anything about being rushed to the Saint John Regional Hospital. She can only recall waking up on the Medevac flight to the IWK Health Centre in Halifax.
"I was in the back of a plane with dad and I was on like a stretcher thingy, with a hospital gown on and some random tubes and whatnot," she said.
Within eight days of her seizure, Marissa would be wheeled into surgery to have a tumour removed near her left temple.
Her mother said it had grown to "timbit-sized" and was putting dangerous pressure on the rest of her brain.
After 11 hours in the operating room, Jan said follow-up tests confirmed glioblastoma; the tumour was malignant.
That's why Marissa and her mother will be spending the next few months travelling to Halifax for treatment.
They'll be free to return to Quispamsis on the weekends, though they can't go back to their home until December.
Home unlivable
When it became clear that Marissa would be undergoing cancer treatments that would compromise her immune system, her parents thought it prudent to get a deep-cleaning service to come into the house.
They identified an air quality issue. It turned out that mould in the basement had circulated throughout the house, making it unlivable for everyone.
A disaster cleanup company is now stripping it down and removing all the mould.
"We can't be in our home until that's all done," said Jan.
"That's added a bit of a hiccup to the whole situation."
Family separated
So for the past few weeks, Marissa and her family have been separated from each other and living out of suitcases.
Jan and Jim are travelling back and forth to Halifax and improvising in between while Marissa's two sisters have been staying with friends.
On Monday, the family will move into a suite at the Villa Madonna but there was no plan to piece together the days until then.
"It's hard not to go to what happens if the MRI is not good or what happens if the treatment doesn't work or what happens if ... any of those what-ifs, it's hard to not to let my mind go to that," said Jan.
"But we all have been trying hard to go to the next step to get her better."
Hockey benefit
Although Marissa is not well enough to play this weekend, she'll be in the audience at the Qplex Saturday night for a benefit game in her honour.
Nine-year-old Charlotte Gootjes and her Atom A Sabres will play the Atom A Hawks in the first period.
Then 12-year-old Madelyn Gootjes and her Peewee Penguins will play the Peewee Oilers.
And in the third period, Marissa's Senators will battle the Bantam Canadians.
They'll probably have her jersey up near the bench behind them.
There will also be a 50/50 draw, a silent auction and lots of surprises.
When asked how Jan feels about her family receiving so much community kindess, she says she's not used to it, but she is grateful.
"It's been an adjustment but even at the IWK, the social worker there and the child life folks there and even the doctors have said, 'You're going to need a lot of help through this … And just take any help that's given to you and then when you're in a position, pay it forward.'"
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