Vancouver Canucks forward J.T. Miller and his wife, Natalie, are stepping up to raise awareness and funds for melanoma, a type of skin cancer.
“We love to be involved in as many things as we have time for. Charitable situations for us [are] something we take a lot of pride in,” said J.T. in an interview with Daily Hive.
Melanoma is a cause especially close to the Millers’ hearts. Natalie’s mom passed away from the disease at just 58 years old a few years ago.
“From that point on, we’ve been in as many initiatives for melanoma and skin cancer as we possibly can,” continued J.T.
The hockey star had another close encounter with the disease when Canucks equipment manager Brian “Red” Hamilton was diagnosed after a Seattle Kraken fan spotted a cancerous mole. Nadia Popovici managed to get Red’s attention, which led to him getting treatment.
“The words out of the doctor’s mouth were if I ignored that for four to five years, I wouldn’t be here,” Hamilton told reporters in January 2022. “She extended my life, she saved my life.”
“He’s got a gigantic heart and the amount of work that he and us have done over the last two to three years now has been pretty spectacular,” said J.T. when asked about Red.
Natalie, J.T., Red, and Red’s wife Jess are all behind this week’s Melanoma Canada golf fundraiser, which aims to raise money for the cause.
“We just want to spread awareness, you know, it’s obviously a very serious cancer, but, you know, melanoma is preventable,” said J.T. “It’s one of the more largely preventable things. Put sunscreen on, create awareness, take the extra second before you head out to put a coating on. It really does go a long way.”
The Canucks assistant captain will be joined by seven teammates at this Thursday’s golf tournament, as well as plenty of others with ties to the organization.
The fundraiser also includes a silent auction, which can be accessed by anyone who texts the word “golf” to 289-210-6003.
While the golf tournament is a scramble meaning all foursomes will work together, whichever team has J.T. will definitely be set up well. The hockey star is an avid golfer who even attempted to qualify for the US Open at one point.
“It’s the exact same as it was the last, you know, four or five years,” says the centre when asked about the state of his golf game. “It’s not very sharp, it’s kind of ugly… when I go to the course, I try to have some fun with the buddies. I haven’t played as much as I normally do in August, but I played a ton in late June and July when I got home.”
“It’s a scramble this week, so not a lot of pressure.”
If you would like to support the cause, you can make donations on the Jess & Red Hamilton Fund website.