Owen has a new dream, and it starts this September

When Owen was diagnosed with cancer, he was 15 and spent his days at the rink and training with the dream of playing professional hockey. It started with a bump on his shin that turned out to be osteosarcoma that took him from the arena to the hospital for surgery and treatment.

But recovering from surgery and rounds of chemotherapy meant relearning how to walk and skate again. His dad says it took incredible resilience and dedication, referring to his son as “relentless,” the same title of a documentary that aired on TV about Owen’s journey. “I have always been disciplined from hockey, so I was not afraid of a challenge.

Owen’s hard work got him back on the ice playing junior hockey in Ottawa. But today his dream of playing professionally has shifted to follow a new passion. “I have always been interested in anatomy after taking a kinesiology class in school and worked with a physiotherapist for months after my surgery,” says Owen. “He has made such a difference for me, and my hope now is to go to school to pursue physiotherapy.” 

Thanks to a Survivor Scholarship from Childhood Cancer Canada, that dream is a step closer. Owen is now enrolled at Ontario Tech University this September in a kinesiology program that he hopes will later take him to the United States for physiotherapy school. “I am still going to play hockey for fun, but I am looking forward to a new challenge.”

In the meantime, when he is not working at a golf course, he is mentoring other children with cancer and speaking at various events about his journey. “I am talking pretty regularly with a young boy now who plays hockey and has just been diagnosed with cancer,” he says. “I know what he is going through, and I am trying to do my best to answer his questions so I can help in any way I can.”

Owen also plans to travel when he is not focusing on his life as a university student. “I am a bit nervous to start something new, but if I’ve learned anything it’s to always turn pain into a positive.”

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