Bryan
Bickell was born March 9, 1986 to Bill and Anne Bickell. He was raised
in Orono, Ontario with an older sister, Ashley. In addition to hockey,
Bickell was also interested in playing baseball during his youth. He was
an outfielder and pitcher for the Kendal Royals, where he was scouted
by the New York Yankees. Bickell ultimately choose to focus his career
on hockey, and traveled to Ottawa to play
for the Ottawa 67's. Bickell had several jobs prior to becoming a
full-time hockey player. He worked as a construction worker and as a
clubhouse assistant to the Ottawa Senators, where he cleaned laundry and
performed custodian duties.
Bryan is a Canadian retired professional ice hockey player who played for the Chicago Blackhawks and the Carolina Hurricanes of the National Hockey League (NHL). He won the Stanley Cup with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2013 and 2015, and played in four early playoff games during the team's run to the 2010 Stanley Cup championship. Bickell spent nearly 10 years with the Blackhawks organization before being traded to the Hurricanes before the 2016–17 season. He was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis later that year and retired from playing hockey at the end of the season.
Bickell began experiencing symptoms of vertigo that forced him to miss two games during the 2015 Stanley Cup Finals. He initially believed the ailment was caused by an infected tooth. Bickell's agent later commented that Bickell was suffering from vestibular issues, which hindered his performance during the 2015–16 Chicago Blackhawks season. In November 2016, Bickell began experiencing an unexplained pain in his shoulder and leg that caused him to miss multiple games. Doctors later diagnosed Bickell with multiple sclerosis. Bickell commented on his health by stating, "Since the 2015 playoffs, I've been struggling to understand what was going on with my body. Again during the past few weeks, it felt like something wasn't right." Ron Francis, the Hurricanes' general manager, stated that Bickell would take an indefinite amount of time off from hockey to receive treatment for his condition. While Bickell ultimately returned to Hurricanes towards the end of the 2016–17 season, he announced he would retire from playing hockey to focus on his MS treatment.
A married father of two, he finished the 2016-2017 season, then retired.
“While this was not something we were planning on dealing with or something to celebrate, we decided early on that we were not going to let it define us, and that we would remain positive, look for the best in our circumstances, and use the diagnosis as a catalyst to help others also living with MS,” Canada-born Bickell said on a webpage of a MediaPlanet-produced website called the “Future of Personal Health.” In addition to about 165 stories featuring MS, the site has articles on other diseases and health issues.
After recovering from the news, Bickell and his wife, Amanda, enhanced the purpose of their foundation, initially founded to connect abused children with pit bull therapy dogs as a way of promoting healing. Now, the Bryan and Amanda Bickell Foundation includes training “pits” to be service dogs for MS. The effort is his and his wife’s way of turning a personal struggle into something positive.
Once accepted, the MS patient will be matched — free of charge — with a dog that will undergo training for up to a year. The dogs will act as a brace for those who can walk, but have balance and strength issues. They can, for example, retrieve dropped items, help patients retain balance during walking, turn lights off and on, and open doors. They also offer therapeutic emotional support and companionship.
Bryan is a Canadian retired professional ice hockey player who played for the Chicago Blackhawks and the Carolina Hurricanes of the National Hockey League (NHL). He won the Stanley Cup with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2013 and 2015, and played in four early playoff games during the team's run to the 2010 Stanley Cup championship. Bickell spent nearly 10 years with the Blackhawks organization before being traded to the Hurricanes before the 2016–17 season. He was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis later that year and retired from playing hockey at the end of the season.
Bickell began experiencing symptoms of vertigo that forced him to miss two games during the 2015 Stanley Cup Finals. He initially believed the ailment was caused by an infected tooth. Bickell's agent later commented that Bickell was suffering from vestibular issues, which hindered his performance during the 2015–16 Chicago Blackhawks season. In November 2016, Bickell began experiencing an unexplained pain in his shoulder and leg that caused him to miss multiple games. Doctors later diagnosed Bickell with multiple sclerosis. Bickell commented on his health by stating, "Since the 2015 playoffs, I've been struggling to understand what was going on with my body. Again during the past few weeks, it felt like something wasn't right." Ron Francis, the Hurricanes' general manager, stated that Bickell would take an indefinite amount of time off from hockey to receive treatment for his condition. While Bickell ultimately returned to Hurricanes towards the end of the 2016–17 season, he announced he would retire from playing hockey to focus on his MS treatment.
A married father of two, he finished the 2016-2017 season, then retired.
“While this was not something we were planning on dealing with or something to celebrate, we decided early on that we were not going to let it define us, and that we would remain positive, look for the best in our circumstances, and use the diagnosis as a catalyst to help others also living with MS,” Canada-born Bickell said on a webpage of a MediaPlanet-produced website called the “Future of Personal Health.” In addition to about 165 stories featuring MS, the site has articles on other diseases and health issues.
After recovering from the news, Bickell and his wife, Amanda, enhanced the purpose of their foundation, initially founded to connect abused children with pit bull therapy dogs as a way of promoting healing. Now, the Bryan and Amanda Bickell Foundation includes training “pits” to be service dogs for MS. The effort is his and his wife’s way of turning a personal struggle into something positive.
Once accepted, the MS patient will be matched — free of charge — with a dog that will undergo training for up to a year. The dogs will act as a brace for those who can walk, but have balance and strength issues. They can, for example, retrieve dropped items, help patients retain balance during walking, turn lights off and on, and open doors. They also offer therapeutic emotional support and companionship.
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