Recovery Is Continuing for Holan

Mighty Duck defenseman Milos Holan is making progress toward leaving the hospital after overcoming a setback in his recovery from a Feb. 21 bone marrow transplant to treat his leukemia.

“The prospects look really good,” said Rich Winter, Holan’s Edmonton-based agent. “He had a little dip, which happens a lot with non-related donors. He had a little rejection, but he’s overcome it. I went down to see him, and by the time I got there he was back on top of the world.

“We even talked about playing hockey, but that’s pie in the sky. He was smiling and laughing and he hopes to be back on skates, maybe not to play hockey, but to skate with his children, including his as-yet unborn son.”

Holan, 24, was close to being released from the City of Hope National Medical Center in Duarte sooner than the average six-week stay for patients recovering from marrow transplants. But he experienced some complications last week that Duck Coach Ron Wilson said made Holan “quite sick.”

A City of Hope spokesman said the hospital does not comment on a patient’s recovery until the patient is ready to go home.

Full recovery takes about a year.

“The reality is that one never knows, but at this stage the cancer is dead, the donated marrow has taken and he continues to feel better,” Winter said. “He’s been through two battles and his prospects ahead look very good.”