The Grand Rapids Press’s Peter J. Wallner spoke with Hershey Bears defenseman and former Grand Rapids Griffins defender Logan Pyett, who’s overcome a significant medical hurdle:
Bumps, cuts and bruises are part of hockey, but what Logan Pyett experienced after a preseason game just wasn’t right.
There was an annoying lump on the inside of his left thigh and the veteran defenseman and former Detroit Red Wings prospect knew it wasn’t typical.
“At first trainers thought it might be scar tissue, whatever, but then I got this shooting pain in my leg,” Pyett said. “I played the one game and complained afterward. My leg just felt heavy, not right.”
As much as he wanted to wish it away – he had just joined Lehigh Valley and the season was about to start – Pyett informed staff, went to have it checked out and heard what he didn’t want to hear.
A tumor was discovered, and it had wrapped around an artery and caused a blot clot. He was diagnosed with synovial sarcoma, a rare type of cancer. Within a week, he began six cycles of chemotherapy, then five weeks of radiation before undergoing surgery.
That journey began in October 2015. It was a scare and a setback and, ultimately, a winnable fight for him against the rare form of the disease that accounts for less than one percent of all cancers.
