The NHL’s Hockey Fights Cancer campaign resonates profoundly with Seattle Kraken’s Jaden Schwartz, who honors his late sister Mandi by wearing her number.
SEATTLE — The NHL’s annual Hockey Fights Cancer campaign holds a deeply personal meaning for Seattle Kraken forward Jaden Schwartz. Every time he steps onto the ice, Schwartz is not only playing for his team but also for his late sister, Mandi Schwartz.
“She’s obviously still with me, and it’s difficult still,” Schwartz said. “You kind of hold that inside every day, but I’m trying to represent her as much as I can.”
Like Jaden and their brother, Rylan, Mandi grew up playing hockey. She competed at Athol Murray College of Notre Dame and later at Yale University. During her junior season at Yale, she was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia.
After three years of fighting, Mandi died on April 3, 2011, at age 23. Less than a year later, Schwartz made his NHL debut with the St. Louis Blues.
“She had such a big influence on me,” Schwartz said.
Schwartz began his career wearing No. 9, but when the opportunity came to switch numbers, he changed to No. 17. Seventeen was Mandi’s number.
“It was an honor for me and meant a lot to my family and friends,” Schwartz said. “She was the best sister that I could ask for.”
In her memory, the Schwartz family started the Mandi Schwartz Foundation to raise awareness for bone marrow drives and have successfully helped match donors.
It means a lot to Jaden and the whole Schwartz family that Mandi’s impact lives on today.
“She’s such a special person,” Schwartz said. “There’s been a lot of matches for people who needed transplants, and that ended up saving their lives. So there’s a number of people who have been impacted by her, and anyone who met her just knew how special she was and so caring and loving toward everyone.”
“She’s still thought about and remembered every day,” he said.