'She's got just an incredible fight to her.' Hockey for Harper fundraiser supports 2-year-old cancer patient
The hockey tournament raised more than $40,000 for Harper’s family.
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A nonprofit called Whip Pediatric Cancer is hosting a tournament in Hauppauge this weekend called Hockey for Harper.
It is a fundraising hockey tournament focused on 2-year-old Harper Wengrod.
Harper was diagnosed with a rare ovarian cancer at just 10 months old. She’s been in and out of the hospital for surgeries and treatment, but the cancer came back earlier this year.
The community came together to support the family and raise money to fight childhood cancer.
“It's incredible to see the support here that that she has,” said Joe Wengrod, Harper’s dad. “And if anyone deserves that, it's her. She's got just an incredible fight to her. I keep saying that hockey is the greatest backdrop for who Harper is because of her toughness, and her strength. And she's an inspiration to us every single day.”
Pediatrician Dr. John Zaso, who doesn’t treat Harper, says pediatric ovarian cancer is extremely rare and there isn’t a lot of research.
“What generally happens is these kids were actually born with it. And the tumor manifests at some point down the road,” Zaso said. “It's critical that these things don't get defunded, that we keep funding these treatments and research is allowed to go on so that we can come up with these different cures.”
Zaso says funding is essential so families don’t have to go through this. Harper’s family is just thankful for the community support that makes it all possible.
“We just have to hope that even though it is really rare what she is suffering from, that there's something somewhere out there that can help her,” said Stefanie Arigo, Harper’s aunt.
The Long Island Hockey League and the Flexible Arena organized the fundraiser. The event raised more than $40,000 for Harper’s family as of Saturday night.
