Gold As Ice Hockey Team Raises Money For Children Fighting Cancer

A nonprofit hockey team in Tulsa is gearing up for a game that is bigger than any championship.

Gold As Ice plays on Sunday, October 27 at 4:30 pm at the WeStreet Ice Center. However, it is not about who they play, but rather, who they are playing for.

"I like watching them play," said 6-year-old Liam Leithauser.

He and 8-year-old Sophia Mobley are who the team is raising money for at their next game.

"At this benefit game our goal is to raise $10,000 to go to Liam and Sophia," said Team Captain Jessica Hopwood.

Gold As Ice plays for kids in Tulsa that have a cancer diagnosis, are in remission, or have beaten cancer. Both Sophia and Liam were recently diagnosed and continue to fight.

"In April of this year, Sophia was diagnosed with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia," said her mother, Kristen Mobley.

Liam's mother Jessenia Leithauser said he is in remission and has returned to school, but still has to do oral chemotherapy once a day.

"September of last year he was getting sick, not getting any better and that is when we found out he had Leukemia," she continued saying, "Those first, I would say 6 months were really, really tough."

The team rallied around both families.

Leithauser said, "When I had to stay home with him full time to take care of him because he could not go to school or be in daycare, everybody stepped up. I could not work for the entire time."

The Mobley family had a similar experience. Kristen said, "I have had to quit working since her diagnosis, and it has been hard on our family."

Even with all they are going through, Liam and Sophia are not letting cancer steal their joy.

Liam likes Roblox, Ghostbusters, playing hide-and-seek, and watching Ryan's World. Sophia enjoys swimming, going to school, watching TV, and playing with her brothers and friends.

Now they are adding hockey to that list and a team that has their backs.

"It means everything for somebody to just be thinking of you, just to show up," said Leithauser.

You can donate to help these families at the Gold As Ice benefit game or online at Rallyup.com