A slam dunk for cystic fibrosis in Saskatoon
Hoops for Hope set to raise money for cystic fribrosis
Athletes of all ages laced up their basketball shoes for a good cause on Saturday.
Sections of the Market Mall parking lot in Saskatoon were blocked off to host Hoops for Hope — a fundraiser for cystic fibrosis research and care.
"Our son, Dominic, was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis when he was a month old," said co-founder and former Huskies basketball athlete Shaun Nechvatal.
Shortly after receiving the news, Nechvatal and his wife, Katarina, came up with the three-on-three basketball tournament fundraiser based on Nechvatal's long history with the sport.
Over the past four years, Hoops for Hope has raised close to $90,000.
This year, there were over 40 teams taking part. To raise money, each team paid a small registration fee, and raised pledges and donations for the cause.
Nechvatal said his eldest daughter, Ava, raised over $1,500 on her own in pledges.
With the help of the Huskies men's and women's basketball teams, this was the fifth year for the fundraiser.
Behind the scenes
Dominic is nearly 7-years-old now.
The disorder has been affecting his lungs. It's also taking a toll on his pancreas.
"He doesn't produce enzymes like everybody else does to digest food properly, so he has to take enzymes for anything and everything he eats or drinks," said Nechvatal.
"Fortunately for Dominic, he hasn't known any different. We've been [keeping up with medications] since he was a month old. He [asks] when we go camping, 'Hey, do you have my enzymes?' Or we'd go out to watch the Huskies play and he'd say right away, 'How much fat is in french fries? How many enzymes do I need with this?'" added Nechvatal.