ORIGINAL ARTICLE

OAKVILLE • Luke Harashe added a bit of comic relief to what should have been an emotional, heartfelt moment.

Harashe, then a sophomore at Oakville High, returned to the ice in February of 2017 just three months after being diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma.

The strapping winger, who had been skating since the age of 3, was determined to attend a practice session to provide some motivation for his team as it prepared for postseason play.

"It was important to show them and to prove to myself I could still skate, even if just a little bit," Harashe recalled. "I missed it so much — I had to get out there."

Harashe, weakened by five grueling rounds of chemotherapy, stepped on the ice. He immediately wobbled and fell down as his teammates looked on, some with tears welling in their eyes. This was not the same lightning-quick skater who blew past opponents on a regular basis during a stellar freshman campaign.

"We were so happy to see him again, it was great," recalled teammate Michael Fischer, who also is one of Harashe's closest friends. "But watching him not being able to skate like he could before — it was kind of rough."

Harashe tried one more time. Same result. Boom, right on his butt.

That's when Harashe broke out in a fit of laughter, causing his teammates to do the same.

The players rushed to his aid, picking him up off the ice, hugging him before helping him steady himself.

Then, it was business as usual for the Tigers, who rallied around their ill teammate with a surprising run to the final four of the Mid-States Club Hockey Association playoffs.

Harashe is still making his teammates smile, this time through his bravery and ability to carry on under the most difficult of circumstances.

"Watching him do that that day, it was one of the most courageous things I've ever seen," Oakville coach Tyler Sollberger said. "It was really something that I will never forget."

Harashe has used his love for the game of hockey as a rallying point in his battle, which still rages on. His doctors have tried several different procedures during the last 28 months, including a stem cell transplant that put him in the hospital for three weeks. His condition remains "stable," according to his mother, Julie. The cells are not dissipating as fast as doctors would like.

So he fights on, using hockey as a rallying cry.

"He loves it so much," Julie said. "If it wasn't for hockey, I'm not sure where he'd be right now. It's helped keep him going and it's what makes him happy."

Explained Harashe, "It keeps me in shape and keeps my head away from everything else that's going on in my body. It takes me away from my situation for a while — which is awesome."

Harashe is flourishing on the ice while still undergoing treatment. He has seven assists for the Tigers, who sport a 5-9-2 mark. He recently moved from forward to defense to help shore up a back line that has been plagued by injuries.

Most importantly, Harashe hardly has missed any time since returning to the ice full time at the start of this season.

Admittedly, Harashe was slowed by the illness last year, although he played as much as physically possible. But now, he feels as though he is "really close to 100 (percent)." And he continues to work hard to regain his previous past form.

"I'm not feeling too bad," Harashe said. "The treatment I'm on right now, it's OK. I can work through it."

Harashe's gutsy battle earned him the role of captain this season. Sollberger says he couldn’t find a player more equipped to wear the "C" on his chest.

"What he's continued to accomplish on and off the ice is pretty incredible," Sollberger said. "He's worked so hard to get back to where he was. He's in the weight room, doing everything he can."

Harashe is the first to admit that without a burning the desire for the sport, his uphill climb would be much harder.

Upon receiving the cancer diagnosis from doctors in October of 2016, he immediately stepped into the nearest bathroom to gather his thoughts.

"I took about 10 minutes of me time," he said. "Then, I just decided I wasn't going to let this slow me down. I was going to fight it as hard as I could."

Julie said in his initial discussion with cancer specialists, one of Luke's first questions was, "When can I returned to the ice?"

"Instead of being down, and all upset, all he wanted to talk about was hockey," Fischer said. "When he first (texted) me, I couldn't believe it. I was so upset. But then when I saw him, I realized he wasn't going to let this bother him."

Harashe will return to Oakville High on a full-time basis this month after talking online classes for the better part of 18 months. He carries on in his life much like a normal teenager.

Although his teammates are aware of his condition, plenty of his opponents are not. And he wouldn't have it any other way.

"I don’t want anyone to feel sorry for me, or ease up on me because of this," Harashe said. "I just want to be a regular hockey player.

For now, Harashe is just as concerned about the Tigers rounding into shape for the playoffs as he is about his own physical condition. He plans on beating cancer and hopes to attend junior college next season. A true student of game, he would like to get into coaching somewhere down the road.

Fischer, who has known Harashe since grade school, is certain his friend will reach those goals.

"He's the type that won't let this beat him," Fischer said. "I know him and it's just not going to happen."