It’s a story that goes beyond the sport of hockey. Buffalo Sabres forward Alex Tuch and his wife, Kylie, announced a $50,000 donation to Sisters of Charity Hospital on Friday afternoon.
A year ago, Tuch’s son Teller was fighting for his life at the Neonatal Critical Care Unit at the hospital. Shortly after birth, Teller was not breathing and suffered from a collapsed lung three different times.
"It was a painful, painful process of watching these numbers on a monitor over and over for hours at a time. I still get dreams sometimes of the numbers on that monitor,” said Tuch.
Tuch and his wife endured the longest two weeks of their lives until, finally, with plenty of medical help and an abundance of hope, Teller began to experience a miraculous turnaround. After two and a half weeks, Teller’s lungs had developed, and the puncture in his lung had healed. He was able to go home.
Tuch called it one of the best moments of his life. He and his family wanted to give back.
“I think that we've been blessed and lucky enough to be in the situation financially and in other ways with our image, and to try to take that and use it for the better," he said. "I think that that's one of the reasons why I always say that's one of the reasons why God put me on this earth, is to take every day and maybe make one kid smile or change someone's life and for the better, not just play hockey.”
With tears in her eyes, Alex’s wife, Kylie, shared her perspective filled with gratitude.
"We're just so grateful. He's perfect. He's so healthy now, and we don't have to worry," she said. "Everyone here reassured us so much when they sent us home that he would be okay, and it was nerve-wracking, and we didn't know if that would be the outcome. So we're just so happy to have this perfect little guy at home, and so grateful for everyone."
The NICU’s transport rig, which accommodates critically ill babies, has been renamed Tuch’s Trucks in honor of their generous donation.
Tuch was also named the Buffalo Sabres' nominee for the King Clancy Memorial Trophy today. That's the NHL-wide award for a player who "best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and has made noteworthy humanitarian contribution to his community.”
