Penguins' Kris Letang Donates $58,000 To Child Cancer Patient

PITTSBURGH, PA - Penguins defenseman Kris Letang wears number 59 on the ice. Off of it last week, he wrote a check for a much larger iteration of his number - $58,000 - to help cover the medical expenses of a 7-year-old cancer patient.

Letang first met Ian Rosenbaum of Stoystown in September, when the boy first was diagnosed with T-cell leukemia at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. Ian attended a morning skate and got to meet his favorite player, who gave him a stick, according to a story on the team’s website.

In November, the defenseman attended a fundraiser for the boy in Johnstown and the pair participated in a ceremonial faceoff for a Johnstown Tomahawks game.

Then last week, Letang hand-delivered the $58,000 check to the Rosenbaum family after a team practice at PPG Paints Arena.

"Kris is a true hero to Ian," said the boy’s mother, Joelle Rosenbuam. "He definitely looks up to him. He talks about him every time he's at Children's (Hospital) to all the nurses. That's something he will remember forever."