Colorado hockey community honors UCHealth cancer survivors at annual Hockey Fights Cancer game
Denver, Colo. (November 16, 2025) – The Colorado Avalanche hockey community rallied around six UCHealth cancer survivors at tonight’s Hockey Fights Cancer game, a night to recognize their courageous battles. They were celebrated for their strength during a pre-game ceremony in front of thousands of fans.
Each cancer warrior had a difficult journey through diagnosis, treatment and recovery. This year all six patients represent a bigger national trend—cancer rates rising among people under 50. These patients include Kate Showalter (40) who has defied a terminal diagnosis after an aggressive and rare salivary gland cancer; Karissa Goossen (36) who travels more than six hours from rural Wyoming to receive subspecialty medical treatment after multiple cancer diagnoses; and Colin Kiesel (34), a young father battling pancreatic cancer that is getting an improved quality of life thanks to a newly FDA approved therapy.
“Kate, Karissa and Colin remind us that cancer does not discriminate by age, and their stories highlight why continued progress in cancer research matters,” said Dr. Daniel Bowles, a UCHealth medical oncologist and Kate Showalter’s physician. “Advancements in treatment happen with the help of sustained investment in research, clinical trials and innovative treatments,” he said.
The NHL’s Hockey Fights Cancer (HFC) initiative benefits the V Foundation, with all proceeds supporting research across a wide range of cancers including blood, breast, cervical, colorectal, lung, melanoma, pancreatic, prostate and pediatric cancers.
Last year, the NHL helped raise a record $8.2 million for cancer research, funds that are making an impact right here in Colorado. In 2024, a researcher at the CU Anschutz Medical Campus received a V Foundation grant to explore new therapies to treat Osteosarcoma, a rare bone cancer that affects hundreds of children, teens and young adults every year.
This is the ninth year UCHealth has partnered with the Colorado Avalanche for the Hockey Fights Cancer initiative.
Note to media: B-roll from the event is available for use and can be found here.
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