On October 23, 2021, during a matchup between the Vancouver Canucks and Seattle Kraken, 22-year-old fan Nadia Popovici noticed a large mole on the back of Vancouver Canucks Equipment Manager, Brian Hamilton’s neck. When he was passing by, she opened her notes app and wrote “The mole on the back of your neck is possibly cancerous. Please go see a doctor!” She knocked on the glass window to get Hamilton’s attention. In a video found in a news station CBS News, Hamilton said ”It threw me off, so I kind of just surged it and kept going.” Hamilton later went to a doctor and found out she was correct. In the same video, he also says “I felt my initial response when I found out was I felt bad because I felt like I didn’t really give her the time of the day.” After the interaction, Hamilton wanted to find her, so he decided to take it to the internet and tweeted “To this woman I am trying to find you, you changed my life and now I want to find you to say thank you so much! That mole on the back of my neck was a malignant melanoma.”
During one of the next games, Nadia showed up and Hamilton thanked her. Not only did she get a surprise when the announcers told the story of her saving Hamilton, they also told the audience how she was accepted to many medical schools. The Seattle Kraken and Vancouver Canucks also awarded Nadia a $10,000 scholarship for medical school. The team said, “It was to show her appreciation for what she did.” After all the commotion Hamilton met up with Nadia in person and gave her a hug and a thank you.
During an interview on The Kelly Clarkson Show, Hamilton said ”I did not know I had a mole on the back of my neck.” He had to ask someone to confirm there was a mole on the back of his neck. He also explained that in the following game, a doctor had the chance to cut out the part where the mole was. In the same show, they decided to interview his mother, daughter, and a very good friend. His mother said it was terrifying at the time because she could not imagine losing him because she already lost children, a grandson, and a husband to cancer. She also said that when she saved him she also saved her. Hamilton’s daughter said, “Thank you for saving so many memories with him like softball tournaments, graduation, and walking her to her wedding and maybe even his grandchildren.” Kelly Clarkson also awarded Nadia $10,000.
Nadia was also interviewed by Sky News and said “After that moment I kind of regretted it, and I thought it was inappropriate. I shouldn’t have brought it up and he probably already knows about it, and it’s a sensitive topic.” She did not like that she said something but for months she did not hear anything about it until she learned about the story and was relieved.
We should learn from Nadia. If you see anything that doesn’t feel right, speak up, and there is a chance you can help someone who didn’t know they needed it.
