NY Islanders To Honor Deceased Livingston Fan, 5

Livingston, NJ – When Seth Cohen steps onto the Barclays Center concourse on Monday night prior to the NY Islanders game, it will have been about four months since his daughter, Maya, passed away of a rare, hidden heart condition.

But the “spunky and vivacious” five-year-old – a huge Islanders fan, just like her father – is still inspiring strength, the Livingston resident told Patch.

Courtesy of a partnership with the Islanders, Cohen and other supporters of the Maya’s Rainbow Foundation will be appearing at the NHL hockey team’s home stadium on April 4 to run an awareness-raising event for the newly launched nonprofit, which provides creative instruction and arts and crafts opportunities to children at Jewish Community Centers throughout the United States.

• See related story: Livingston Students Create Touching Tribute Rainbow For Classmate

Out of respect for the plucky five-year-old and her namesake charity, Islanders have designated Maya’s Rainbow Foundation as the beneficiary of the proceeds of the team’s April 4 raffle, Cohen told Patch.

In addition, the foundation will be sharing Maya’s story at an information booth on the stadium concourse, and Cohen will be doing an interview with MSG Plus during the first intermission, he said.

“The Islanders have always been my passion,” Cohen said. “That love is something I shared with my kids, and in her own way, Maya loved the Islanders.”

In fact, the last photo ever taken of Maya was of the precocious youth in an Islanders jersey with an orange and blue manicure.

“This event came to be thanks to an old friend and the incredible generosity of the New York Islanders,” Cohen said. “One of my friends from college happens to be business partners with Scott Malkin, one of the owners of the Islanders. Shortly after Maya’s death, my friend, who knows the Islanders have always been my #1 passion, reached out to Scott to see if the Islanders would be willing to help us. I then had the pleasure of speaking with Jon Ledecky, who is ownership partners with Scott Malkin on the Islanders. It was Mr. Ledecky who came up with the idea of doing an event at a game to help us raise awareness for our foundation.”

When Patch asked Cohen what emotions would be going through his mind on Monday evening, Cohen said that they would be “all over the place.”

“My wife and I love the Islanders,” he said. “I wear an Islanders shirt pretty much every day. This is a love shared with Maya and it hurts knowing we will never get to take her to a game again. She really enjoyed it. So, there is some sadness. But, there’s also a lot of excitement and pride. Maya inspires me and every time I get to talk about her and Maya’s Rainbow, I feel like I get a little bit stronger. So, we’re excited to share her story. It’s a story that deserves to be told.”

And in the end, there will be one overarching emotion that Cohen expects to feel on Monday… pride.

“To think, Maya passed away in mid-December and now here we are running a 501c3 charitable organization in her name and doing an event at a major professional sporting event… It’s unbelievable and humbling.”

Learn more about the Maya’s Rainbow Foundation here.

Photos via Seth Cohen

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