Shorewood Boy Battling Rare Cancer to Drop Puck at Blackhawks Game

SHOREWOOD, IL — A 9-year-old Shorewood boy has been picked to do the ceremonial puck drop Monday for the Chicago Blackhawks Fight Cancer Night.

Since he was diagnosed in January, Brandon Otte has been fighting a rare form of cancer called Histiocytosis, which causes an excess of white blood cells to accumulate in the body and form tumors.

When Brandon was at Ronald McDonald House for an MRI, the Blackhawks and mascot came, said his father Jeff Otte.

“They knew one of his wishes was to be on the ice with the players for the national anthem and they asked if he wanted to drop the puck, and of course he said yes,” Otte said.

But that’s not all. Brandon will also be interviewed during the game.

Brandon is one of seven children. His father has been trying to raise them on his own after his wife upped and left in January, just four days before Brandon was scheduled to have a tumor removed from his skull. Brandon does chemotherapy around once a week and having to watch his son fight cancer has taken a toll on him.

“Why does a (child) have to do that,” Jeff Otte said in a YouTube video posted on a GoFundMe page to raise money for his family. “Not me or someone else. But he plays it off and he makes me laugh all the time.”

Jeff works as a full-time firefighter with the Frankfort Fire Protection District, a job that leaves his several children in need of care. That’s where the fundraiser comes in. Jeff can’t leave his job as he needs the health insurance, and while he’s been able to hire nannies for special-needs children, all money raised will help pay them and cover living expenses.

One of the things Jeff wasn’t expecting was the huge outpouring of support from the community. The Troy Fire Protection District, the Troy School District, social workers, bus drivers, the Joliet Park District and community members have all been “amazing,” Otte said.

And there’s good news for Brandon. His latest MRI showed no sign of the tumor and there’s been no other spread of it.

To donate to Otte’s fundraising campaign, click here. To follow Brandon's story, visit his Facebook page.

photo courtesy of Jeff Otte