Angel on the ice
Caileigh helped the Pens win two cups in a row
The 2015-2016 holiday season started off with hope and a big smile for my precious niece Caileigh. As she was falling ill, missing school and struggling to put on weight, she received a signed photo in the mail: “To Caileigh: Best wishes. Sidney Crosby #87.” I hadn’t seen her so gleeful in a long time. That simple gesture had her beaming from ear to ear. “Look, Lynnie! It’s from Sid! He spelled my name right!”
I didn’t realize it then, but that would be one of the last times that I would share joy with my girl.
Caileigh squealed with delight because Sidney Crosby and the Penguins were her passion. From the time she was 7, she would watch and evaluate every game, and weigh in on coaching decisions. She worried about the players, the stats, the standings and the likelihood of makingthe playoffs.
Caileigh hosted her sweet-16 birthday party at a Pens game, and she and I went to many games together. I smile as I think of how she would start worrying in November about whether the Penguins would get to the playoffs. She was intense about the Pens in the most endearing way. I would assure her nearly daily that she needed to keep the faith.
After the hiring of Mike Sullivan as head coach in December 2015, Caileigh’s Penguins began showing signs of improvement and her darling Sidney Crosby started “playing like Sidney Crosby” again.
Just before Christmas, after Matt Murray posted a win against the Blue Jackets, Caileigh and I talked about his stats in the minors, his strengths and potential. In an almost prophetic way, Caileigh said, “Guys, I’m not worried anymore.” Asked to elaborate, she continued, “Lynnie, if anything happens to the Flower (goaltender MarcAndre Fleury), I know that Matt Murray can take us all the way to the cup. We haven’t had a back-up that could until now. I know he can do it.”
Caileigh never got to see her Penguins play in the 2016 postseason. She was rushed to the ER on Feb. 20 and remained in the hospital for 42 days. She suffered a catastrophic bowel blockage, the result of undiagnosed Crohn’s Disease.
The ICU became home for her parents and me and we tried to surround Caileigh with everyone and everything that she loved. I would hold her hand for hours and tell her how much she was loved and how much we admired her strength, her goodness and her will to live. We let her know that her “mystery illness” had been identified and that it was not her fault.
Caileigh spent those days in the ICU lying under her favorite Penguins blanket. We made sure that every game was on the TV, hoping that the sound of her beloved Pens on the ice would give her happiness and motivation. Hoping that she could hear every word, I would talk to her about the wins and the likelihood that we were going to get to the playoffs! I promised to take her to every single playoff game when she recovered. I told her I needed her to recover, that I needed her to stay here with me.
Caileigh fought so hard for her life through seven surgeries and 42 excruciating days. She passed away on April 2, 2016, nine days shy of her 18th birthday.
That same day, Marc-Andre Fleury was diagnosed with his second concussion of the season and was out indefinitely. Just as Caileigh had predicted months earlier, Matt Murray would take over the net and take us all the way to the cup.
Caileigh always loved to give presents. In that spirit, the 1,000 people attending her funeral were given Penguins rally towels and asked to wave them in remembrance of Caileigh during Pens’ games.
Pittsburgh rallied behind her. The Penguins put out a #87 sweater with her name on it. A grassroots #winthecup4caileigh campaign took off. Caileigh signs were held up at home playoff games and posted all over town. They even showed up in rival cities. People who had never watched hockey before started rooting for the Pens to #winthecup 4caileigh.
On June 12 last year, just as the Pens were counting down the minutes to their Stanley Cup win, a small puppy named Crosbi that we had promised to Caileigh (and that she had named months earlier) finally arrived all the way from Texas. The timing was perfect, though bittersweet.
We continue to channel Caileigh’s passion for the Penguins and cheer on the team in her name. This year’s second championship in a row has taken on a beautiful, heartbreaking significance for our family. When we watch the Pens, we feel close to Caileigh. Maybe we are still watching together.
When you lose a child, a belief in heaven takes on new meaning. For reasons big and small, I know that Caileigh is responsible for heavenly deeds. I know that the Pittsburgh Penguins have had an angelic presence working on their behalf since April 2016.
Two Stanley Cups and Matt Murray pulling through? It’s not a coincidence.