A popular hockey player and Baden resident has finally found his match.
At the end of 2013, John Divo was forced off the ice due to a leukemia diagnosis.
Several months later, believing he’d beaten cancer and preparing for a return to the Kitchener Dutchmen, Divo received some startling information from his doctor after a routine test: The cancer had returned.
“I was feeling great,” he said.
“That’s the scary thing – if I didn’t have the test … who knows what could have happened?”
Divo’s battle prompted a big response from his teammates, the wider hockey community and even Kitchener at large.
Multiple swabbing clinics were held, soliciting samples from hundreds of potential donors.
One morning this week, Divo’s father – also named John – got the phone call the family had been waiting for.
A match had been found, and a transplant scheduled for March 26.
“It’s a life-changing event for us,” said the elder Divo.
“It’s very difficult to get a 100 per cent match, and we’re lucky enough to get one.”
All family members say they’re amazed by the outpouring of support they’ve received from the community.
“It’s been so overwhelming – all the support … and all the awareness the community has brought to stem cells,” said the younger Divo.
“This is a journey that you certainly can’t do alone.”
