When the puck drops at the TD Garden next week, Bruins fans everywhere will be watching their team fight for the Stanley Cup.
But one Stoughton mother is hoping to be front and center after she says the team helped her beat cancer. Her friends and family are trying to help fulfill her wish of waving the fan banner.
Shannon McCarthy said cheering on her B’s got her through 18 months of chemotherapy. She and her daughter celebrated the end of her battle with a trip this year’s Winter Classic. NBC Boston first met McCarthy at the New Year’s Day game that happened to be one day after he last treatment.
“They won for me then and that’s when I felt like it all started rolling with them winning, winning, winning,” McCarthy said.
While the Bruins have advanced, McCarthy’s health has deteriorated. Doctors recently found a mass on her pancreas.
As McCarthy prepares for surgery, she planned to watch the team’s quest for the cup at home. But then some of her friends started a quest of their own. They launched an online campaign to try and get her selected to wave the fan banner like a celebrity. In 24 hours, more than 1,000 members joined the Facebook group aimed at fulfilling her wish.
“She deserves this whether or not it’s even going to happen, she deserves this,” McCarthy’s daughter Hannah Carpenter said.
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While her daughter is rooting for her, McCarthy says no matter where she watches, as long as the Bruins keep going, so can she.
“I know they’re going to win the Cup for me,” McCarthy said. “I know they are and I’m going to stand at the parade. Then I will go to Mass General and start the journey all over again.”
While McCarthy waits to hear back about the fan banner, she said she hopes to celebrate conquering her next health battle with another Bruins milestone. She and her daughter plan to buy tickets to the season opener.
