LAS VEGAS (KSNV) — A hockey player with one of the Vegas Golden Knights’ minor league teams revealed he was diagnosed with cancer last year.
Defenseman Mason Geertsen discovered he had B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma after a leg scan last November, he said in a statement released through the Henderson Silver Knights Friday.
Geertson says he began treatment immediately and missed a month of the season before returning. More treatments continued through the end of the summer, and the cancer is now in remission.
“Now that I’m on the other side of this journey, I feel it’s incredibly important to share my story and encourage everyone to be their own best health advocate,” Geertson said.
With the Silver Knights playing their annual Hockey Fights Cancer game, the 29-year-old defenseman said he wants everyone to get regular wellness checks and talk to a doctor if they notice anything strange.
“It’s so easy to put off scheduling an appointment but trust me when I say prioritizing your own wellness is something that is worth the time and effort,” Geertson said. “It has been for me.”
Geertson is in his second season with Henderson after signing a two-year, two-way contract with parent club Vegas in 2023. He appeared in 25 games with the New Jersey Devils in the 2021-22 season.
The Golden Knights family is no stranger to the battle with cancer. Defenseman Shea Theodore has taken an active role in fighting the disease after he revealed he was diagnosed with and treated for testicular cancer in 2019.