Father’s Illness Always on Mind

The Kings’ annual visit to Children’s Hospital to distribute toys for the holidays, always an emotionally draining experience for the players, was especially wrenching Monday for veteran forward Ian Laperriere.

Laperriere’s 55-year-old father, Michel, was diagnosed two years ago with pancreatic cancer.

Though pancreatic cancer barely ranks among the 10 most commonly diagnosed cancers, according to the Web site pancreatica.org, the median survival rate from the time of diagnosis until death is arguably the worst of any of the cancers. Untreated, it’s about 3 1/2 months; with good treatment, it’s about six months.

Michel Laperriere has lasted more than 27 months since he was diagnosed in August 2000, surviving through surgery, chemotherapy and radiation, and was doing fine until about two months ago, when doctors found a tumor in his neck.

So it was a reflective Ian Laperriere who, along with teammates Jason Allison, Bryan Smolinski, Mathieu Schneider and Mattias Norstrom, visited youngsters afflicted with cancer and blood diseases. Other players, all wearing their purple road jerseys, visited children in other parts of the hospital.

“It makes you think,” Laperriere said. “Especially in the unit where we are right now, most of the kids have cancer. It hit my family two years ago and I know what their families are going through. My dad’s not a kid, but he’s my dad and I love him in the same way these kids are loved by their parents.

“It’s tough just to walk around. I don’t know what these kids are going through, but I know they’re suffering and it’s no fun to see that.”

Laperriere has spent a lot of time in hospitals during the last week, and not only because he suffered a concussion in a Nov. 23 victory over the Dallas Stars, an injury that has kept him out of the lineup the last three games.

His father, who flew down two weeks ago for a visit after seven weeks of chemotherapy in his hometown of Montreal, was hospitalized last week after his latest round of chemotherapy sessions left him anemic.

“We were all worried it was something worse,” Laperriere said.

On Saturday, though, Michel Laperriere was back at his son’s Manhattan Beach home. His breathing was no longer labored, as it had been early last week, and he was energetic enough to play with his 8-month-old grandson, Tristan.

But he leaves today. Another round of chemotherapy starts Thursday.

“It’s been hard,” his son said, eyes rimmed red as he fought back tears. “I think about my dad every day. We’re a close family. I get emotional talking about it because ever since I was little he always supported me in everything.”

Through the uncertainty, before his injury, the feisty Laperriere continued to play his usual combative game for the Kings.

“It’s tough,” he said. “But the way my parents raised me, it’s like, ‘You’re a professional. You do your stuff, and you worry about that later, at home.’

“I think the rink has been really good for me, being around my teammates. They know what I’m going through.... All my teammates and coaching staff, they know what my dad’s going through and they try to support me.”

Still, it’s difficult, he said, being so far away from home.

“My dad will talk to me and say, ‘I’m fine, I’m fine, I’m fine,’ ” he said. “I’ll talk to my sister and he’s not fine. He doesn’t want me to worry about anything.”

But worry he does, of course.

His father, a large man, used to play football in Canada, and on Sunday father and son watched NFL games on television.

“I know everybody does that,” said the son, “but when your dad’s sick, you appreciate those moments so much more.”