Laila Anderson is an 11-year old St. Louis Blues hockey fan. When her parents took her to games she would make her way to the tunnel leading back to the home dressing room and fist-bump the players on their way in. She became such a fixture the players started to notice her.
Two years ago she was diagnosed with HLH, or Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocystosis, a disease so rare only 15 children in the United States are known to have it. Simply put, it makes your white blood cells attack other cells in your body, deeply compromising your immune system.
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At his natural position, no one in the league was his equal. He was what hockey folks call a “stay-at-home” defenseman, a player who specializes in using his physicality, vision, and disciplined play to neutralize the opposing team’s offensive star. He had always been one of the smallest players on his team, but he compensated for his modest stature by playing with a bulldog’s tenacity. He was fearless and the fans loved him for it. Opposing centers hated his miserable guts, but to the people in the stands, he represented everything beautiful about the game.
