"Fight like Arianna...always with a smile." A simple saying that resonates deeply this week for the St. Louis Blues, their fans, and just about anyone with a heart. A saying that has reduced the mere game of hockey to a small sideshow next to the real game of life, which is spreading love as far as you can. That's what Arianna Dougan did with her young life.
The 11 year old passed away this week after giving euroblastoma all it could handle for eight years. She joined the Blues in March for a road trip-and while she didn't suit up or sit behind them on the bench, Ari connected with the players and coaches in a short period of time. Special souls like Ari don't need more than an hour to turn a frown upside down.
She bonded quickly with Blues star Vladimir Tarasenko, who visited her in the hospital this week as Ari had hours to live. While Tarasenko can score with the best in the league and will hopefully raise a cup above his shoulders on 14th and Clark one day, his biggest attribute as a superstar in this league is his gigantic heart.
Ari and Tarasenko came together and helped each other deal with what life brings. Of course, the right winger isn't a doctor, but he can smile, and that was enough for Ari when they were together. She is the reason why the Blues started a program that will let a child in need travel with them once a year on a road trip. Ari started that, because she left an impact on players that she only knew from watching before March.
Cancer sucks. We've said it a thousand times, but sometimes through a terrible disease, a bond can form, and create something special. The goal in life is to leave a mark and ignite a legacy or act. Arianna Dougan has done that through interactions with her favorite hockey team and by simply smiling. People don't smile enough, and the world is often too cold to endorse to a stranger.
So here's a way you can help, folks. Today, tonight or tomorrow even, do me a favor. Just smile. Think of Arianna and her lasting message. Smile, laugh with someone, or just be kind to as many people as you run into. As an Uber driver, I try to smile as often as I can in my 10-15 minute pocket of time with strangers, because I think I am doing those people a favor. So pay it forward this weekend.
Tonight, I'll be thinking of Arianna and her rally cry to us all. Smile, don't let the world get you down, and never blink in the eye of a deficit. In her eight year fight with a brutal disease, Arianna kept fighting and smiling.
When a young kid dies, the people left behind have a job: don't let her message go to waste. Life is never fair, but it is susceptible to change if enough people come together.
Arianna Dougan may be gone, but her effect on people close and far should last forever.
