A high school hockey player from Minnesota who was 16 years old passed away on Christmas Day following emergency surgery for a stroke brought on by a rare illness that primarily affects children.
According to Fox 9, Cormick Scanlan, a sophomore at Cretin-Derham Hall in St. Paul, had surgery on December 15 after having a stroke about three weeks earlier.
He was identified as having the rare blood vessel disorder moyamoya disease, which causes a blocked or restricted skull artery.
According to reports, during the bypass procedure, doctors used blood veins from his skull to reconstruct a carotid artery.
“We kind of thought, ‘Hey now we know what it is, they’re going to do this procedure and he’s going to battle back,’” Scanlan’s coach Derek Weinke told the outlet.
“We don’t know what it’s going to look like on the other side, but it’s Cormick, he’s going to battle through this and then things took a turn and then it got worse,” he added.
Tragically, the boy experienced several strokes and passed away on Sunday.
“This is a kid who lived what we talk about every day,” Weinke said. “The values of selflessness, of hard work, integrity… these are all things that this young man had.”
Scanlan was a member of the St. Paul Capitals hockey organization.
“The Capitals mourn the loss of Cormick Scanlan. Cormick was a Capitals player from his time as a mini-mite through his past two seasons on our Bantam AA team,” the group said on its website.
“During his Peewee B1 year, Cormick’s signature move was the ‘choo choo,’ which featured him using his size and speed to beat defenseman to the net. On his way past defenders, parents would shout, ‘choo choo as Cormick charged past defenders towards the net,” it added.
The school termed the tragic child a “excellent student” and “brilliant young guy” who “impacted so many” in a statement released by Cretin-Derham Hall.
“It is with deep sadness that we share that one of our students, sophomore Cormick (Mick) Scanlan, died December 25, 2022 from complications from a stroke he suffered earlier this month,” it said.
“Please keep Cormick’s family, especially his parents, Joe ‘94 and Heather, and siblings, Colin (senior, Cretin-Derham Hall), Brynn (8th grade, Holy Spirit) and Sloane (5th grade, Holy Spirit), in your prayers during this heart-breaking time,” the school said.
“We are extremely saddened by the loss of Mick, but our faith gives us confidence that he is in the loving arms of Jesus,” school president Frank Miley said in a statement.
“As a community, we stand alongside his family and friends as we all mourn the loss of this bright young man who has impacted so many,” he added.
Cormick was a diligent young man who excelled as a teammate and a competitive competitor, according to athletic director Matt Funk.
He set a good example and lived up to the credo “Culture Creates Champions” in whatever he did. He had a lasting impression on the entire school community, and we will all miss him immensely, Funk said.
According to Heather Scanlan’s heartbreaking update on Caring Bridge, her baby “went away peacefully this night surrounded by his parents and Grammy T.
“There is something beautiful about him starting his heavenly journey on Christmas. We are thankful for the time Mick granted family and friends to visit one last time. Maybe the Christmas miracle was the support our community has continuously shown our family. It has been astounding,” she continued.
“Words cannot express how much joy Cormick brought his family. We are heartbroken,” the grieving mother added.
