Jean Mooney had just two things on her bucket list: Beat cancer and attend a Toronto Maple Leafs home game.
On Feb. 29, at Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena, Mooney, now 82 and cancer-free, cheered from the stands as the Leafs took on the Arizona Coyotes — marking a dream come true for both herself and her family.
“Over the span of being a die-hard Leafs fan for 62 years, she just had never gone to a game,” Mooney’s daughter, Karen Mooney-Stewart told Yahoo News Canada. “It was fulfilling a life dream that night to see her boys.”
Hockey Night in Canada: A family tradition
Mooney-Stewart’s parents immigrated from Scotland in 1962, so they had never followed hockey before life in Canada.
“Once in Canada, they were exposed to ice hockey in all different forms, [even] attending games of their friends’ children … the Leafs were the home team so they would follow every single one of their games,” Mooney-Stewart said.
A Saturday night ritual for the Mooneys was having family over or going to family’s houses to watch the Leafs games for Hockey Night in Canada. Mooney-Stewart said through all the changes of a growing family — children leaving the home and having children of their own — her mother’s deep love for the Leafs and the sport never faded.
“My nephew plays hockey and she will go to every game of his,” Mooney-Stewart said. “She will go to any hockey game available, and show up at the arena early just so she can see whatever game is on before that.”
Stage 3 cancer diagnosis: ‘I’m going to beat this’
A dark cloud settled over the Mooney household in May 2022 when Mooney was diagnosed with Stage 3 Lung cancer.
Mooney-Stewart said her mother is not easy to scare. At the first mention of cancer, her mother simply said “I’m going to beat this.”
“At the time, her oncologist believed it to be inoperable and was recommending pain management,” Mooney-Stewart said.
On the possibility of surgery, Mooney-Stewart said they were told an operation would reduce her lung capacity to a point she would no longer be able to sustain herself.
“We asked for additional tests to be done as we felt she would be able to handle the surgery,” Mooney-Stewart said.
On Aug. 30, 2022, Mooney underwent surgery to remove the upper lobe of her right lung.
“It was a really rough surgery at her age, her…
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