Lola, the daughter of Bob Murphy and Kathy Gutierrez, was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2008, spent nine months at Children’s Hospital in Cincinnati, underwent a bone marrow transplant and has been cancer free since June of 2009.
She was a special guest of the Swoop’s Stoop program during the Miami hockey team’s contest against Alabama-Huntsville. During a timeout in the first period, Lola’s image was put on the giant video scoreboard inside Steve Cady Arena.
It might not be her last big-screen appearance.
“She aspires to be a famous actress and singer some day,” said Lola’s mother, Kathy Gutierrez.
Lola was more interested in the spectacle of Friday night.
“I’ve never been to a hockey game,” she said. “It’s cool.”
Swoop’s Stoop is a program whose mission “is to provide life-enriching experiences to area children facing life-changing illnesses.”
It all started with Reichard, who along with his teammates will face Notre Dame at home tonight and Saturday in a critical Central Collegiate Hockey Association series.
Reichard, one of the top goalies in the nation, shares playing time with classmate Connor Knapp.
As a sophomore, Reichard was named CCHA Player of the Year and he shares the school record for career shutouts.
But his real legacy to Miami is much more far-reaching.
“The main idea was just to get kids out of the hospital to games, and for kids who couldn’t get out of the hospital, for us to go down to them and give them a good day, to get their minds off of what’s going on,” Reichard said.
“We try to make monthly visits to the hospital for kids who are too sick to get out, or for kids who are in for surgery,” he said.
“It’s pretty tough visiting terminally ill children. You see those kids, you realize you don’t have it so tough.”
Reichard has gained the support of a corporate sponsor, Step Resources. More than $16,000 has been raised for the cause.
“My goalie coach over in Indianapolis, Jamie Morris, and I kind of borrowed the idea from numerous pro goalies,” Reichard said.
Naturally, he needed a lot of help to get the program off the ground.
“The athletic department has helped me a tremendous amount,” he said, “especially Josh Fenton (assistant athletic director) and Jude Killy (associate athletic director). They helped me create an account within the university for Swoop’s Stoop and with fundraising.
“John Strauser of the Red and White Club has helped get a lot of funding from around the area,” Reichard said. “And Greg Elam, owner of Step Resources, has been a big supporter from day one. It seems to be really taking off.”
Fenton recalled how the program began.
“Cody came to me at the end of the 2009-10 season, saying he wanted to develop a program that ... would cheer up children in hospitals and take it to another level,” he said.
“He’s very giving, very caring,” Fenton said of Reichard. “He’s quiet and unassuming when you talk to him. That’s just Cody and the way Cody thinks, and we’re very fortunate to have someone of that caliber.”
Reichard’s program is aiming high, beyond visits to games or from players.
“Down the road we figure (we’ll) re-do one of the activity rooms in the hospital, re-paint the walls, make it more friendly for the kids,” Reichard said.
Miami coach Enrico Blasi isn’t surprised that Reichard is accomplishing so much.
“This is something really true to Cody’s heart,” he said. “It tells you a little something about Cody and the kind of program we have.”
Reichard’s reasoning is simple.
“It was a chance to give back to the university,” he said. “Coach always tells us to leave the program better than we found it.”
Contact this reporter at (513) 820-2197 or Pete.Conrad@coxinc.com.
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