Normally if you see a flaw on someone, if they can’t immediately fix it, you shouldn’t say anything. But thanks to the sharp eyes and quick thinking of hockey fan Nadia Popovici, her mention of a flaw saved someone’s life. That someone just so happens to be the Vancouver Canucks assistant equipment manager Brian Hamilton.

If you’re into sports and spend time on social media, you probably saw a call-out post on the Vancouver Canuck’s Twitter which the Kraken promptly retweeted. The teams were looking for a mysterious fan who had tipped Hamilton off. That fan was Popovici, they just didn’t know it yet.

According to The Seattle Times, Popovici attended a game between the Vancouver Canucks and the Seattle Kraken last October. During this game, she was seated behind the Canucks bench and noticed an irregular mole on the back of Hamilton’s neck. In an attempt to alert him, she knocked on the glass and typed a note on her phone that said “The mole on the back of your neck is cancer”.

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Popovici knew the probability of it being cancerous because she’s about to head to medical school and has also volunteered at hospitals where she was “surrounded with a lot of melanomas.” Luckily for both parties, Hamilton saw the note and registered what it said. He eventually got it checked out by the team doctor and they agreed something was off.

The mole ended up being a type 2 malignant melanoma. It happens to be a skin cancer that is curable if caught early and thankfully that was the case. Within a week, Hamilton underwent treatment and was cancer-free. But he still had to thank the mysterious fan who tipped him off.

Popovici was eventually found and actually got to meet Hamilton at the Canucks vs Kraken game on January 1st. What’s more, the two teams announced a $10,000 scholarship towards her medical school tuition. Talk about a heartwarming way to start the year!

 

Curiocity Staff

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