Fairfield Hockey Raises $18K In One Night For Charlie Capalbo's Cancer Battle

FAIRFIELD, CT — The Fairfield hockey community turned out to support one of its own on Saturday.

The regular-season game between Fairfield and Greenwich was also a fundraiser, generating upwards of $18,000 for former Fairfield hockey player Charlie Capalbo and his family as he undergoes a fourth round of chemotherapy.

“The Capalbos have touched the whole hockey community,” said Vicki Swanson, whose son, Charlie Swanson, plays for Fairfield, and who helped put together the event in less than two weeks. “The community really wants to give back.”

Capalbo was diagnosed in 2017 with non-Hodgkin's lymphoblastic lymphoma T-cell Stage 3 soon after completing his senior season as a goalie for the Fairfield co-op hockey team.

With a softball-sized tumor in his chest, the then-18-year-old underwent 36 months of chemotherapy. He began to regain his health and enrolled at Fairfield University in 2018. Just four weeks into the school year, new cancer cells were found in Capalbo's spinal fluid, and he was admitted to Boston Children's Hospital.

In 2019, Capalbo received a bone marrow transplant from his younger brother, William Capalbo, and Charlie was able to return to Fairfield University in January 2020. But the cancer was back about a year later.

Charlie was in remission during the 2021 holiday season and was able to return to Fairfield, according to his aunt and uncle, Toni Capalbo and Carlos Collazo, who attended Saturday’s game. Then, a follow-up appointment revealed the need for a fourth round of chemo.

“He’s the strongest person, and they’re the strongest family, that I know,” Toni said.

Charlie and his immediate family were in Boston during the game, but they were able to view it via live stream.

“These events are incredible,” Collazo said. “He feels loved.”

The game, billed on the program as Capalbo Strong Night, featured a silent auction, raffle and Capalbo Strong merchandise. Many local businesses contributed items. The venue, Wonderland of Ice in Bridgeport, donated all proceeds from the admissions to the Capalbo family, and fans were encouraged to give $5 on Venmo every time their team scored.

Before the game, which Fairfield won, 5-0, Selectman Tom Flynn issued a proclamation declaring Saturday as Charlie Capalbo Day in Fairfield.

“Today and every day the entire community will continue to rally around Charlie and his family,” Flynn said.

Fairfield hockey player James Spengler, also a pediatric cancer survivor, made a statement for Charlie on behalf of the team.

Saturday’s fundraiser was not the first event the hockey team has organized for the Capalbo family. Last year, the team held a raffle and partnered with Garden Catering for a Chicken for Charlie night.

Since Charlie’s diagnosis in 2017, a GoFundMe has generated over $475,000 for the family. To donate, visit www.gofundme.com/f/tc8mac-charlie-capalbo-be-strong.