ST. LOUIS — His physical style of play endeared him to St Louis Blues fans during his NHL career. Now, Kelly Chase is displaying his toughness in a new fashion as he battles prostate cancer.
“As it turned out, it was a couple of polyps in my colon,” Kelly said. “I actually went to a couple of hockey players that have kept it under their hat and asked them what they went through and how to attack it, and then I left just before playoffs and told everyone I had to go to work. I went ahead and did seven weeks of radiation and treatments.”
Chase hoped to battle the disease privately. But those plans were scrapped when the great Wayne Gretzky shared Kelly’s video documenting his final radiation treatment.
“I just was like “Gretz, what are you doing?” Kelly said. “You can’t yell at him because he is such a gentleman and wanted to have something to say, “Good for you. We’re all behind you.”
With his cancer battle out in the open, the former Blues player shares his experience. On Thursday, he was the featured speaker at the 51st St Louis Men’s Group Against Cancer dinner. The nonprofit raises funds that are directed to research, prevention, and care of Cancer.
“We always say our best days are when we give (money) away,” Michael Lefton, President of the St. Louis Men’s Group Against Cancer, said. “Our allocations luncheon is so rewarding. We get to hear the stories of what these people are doing with our funds, and it really does bring the cancer community together.”
“It is helping many people, whether it is kids, families, or whatever it is,” Kelly said. “It’s pretty spectacular.”