It was a courageous struggle for a local hockey player at a young age and one that inspired many in the hockey community and Battlefords.
Nico Hawryliw would have been celebrating his 20th birthday this week, as he waas born Jan. 16, 1992. A devastating loss hit the Battlefords and hockey community in April of 2011, as Hawryliw lost his battle with cancer and passed away in North Battleford.
He started skating when he was four and first registered to play organized hockey in the fall of 1997. Hawryliw played two years of initiation, two years of novice and, because of a Hockey Canada age change, only one year of atom hockey. Hawryliw was a member of the first atom AA tier I Barons and was always proud to be a Battlefords Baron.
In his first year of peewee hockey, Hawryliw and his teammates were excited as it was the first time he participated in a true hockey league. That year their team was undefeated, winning the Centre Four Hockey League and they lost by one goal in the northern provincial final to the eventual provincial champions. It was during the second half of that season Hawryliw started showing signs of illness.
Hawryliw began playing his secnod year of peewee hockey in 2004 but was struggling with a lack of energy. He had been seeing doctors regularly and was diagnosed with a brain tumor in February 2005. Hawryliw had major brain surgery in February and returned to hockey until he started chemotherapy.
After his treatments, he returned to hockey in the fall of 2005. He played AA tier I bantam hockey during the 2006-07 season. Hawryliw started playing midget hockey in the fall of 2007 but became ill again. His cancer had returned. Following another surgery, Hawryliw went to Winnipeg for three months for high dose chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant. That marked the end of Hawryliw's hockey career, as he would never play again, but could be found at many hockey games with his father watching the Battlefords North Stars, AAA Stars and many other minor hockey games throughou the years.
In January 2009, Hawryliw's cancer returned for a third time. After another surgery, he spent another three months in Winnipeg being treated with high doses of radiation. Hawryliw came home in June and returned to school that fall.
Hawryliw's cancer appeared again in the fall of 2010 - this time in his lymph nodes. On Dec. 14, 2010, his doctors told him that they could offer no more treatments. He passed away peacefully April 30, 2011 in North Battleford.
Hawryliw's journey inspired us in many ways. He taught us how to love, to be courageous and to never give up. Due to the cancer and his treatments he lost the use of one eye, was completely deaf in one ear and partially in the other, had a palsy on his left side, was fed with a stomach tube and suffered short term memory loss. He never complained or gave up. His fortitude united our community and he became a local hero, which he modestly denied. In 2010, Hawryliw was awarded the Canadian Cancer Medal for Courage. He was very proudly humbled by this honour.
Along with dozens of teammates and friends, Hawryliw leaves behind his broken hearted family - parents Allison and Lionel, sister Jane, grandparents, many aunts, uncles and cousins.
