Rosthern hockey tournament donates money to the Neilburg family.

NEILBURG – The Graham family of Neilburg is excited about the support they have received through the Fletcher Cup U9 hockey tournament.

The second Fletcher Cup was again a great success, raising over $9,000. Featuring teams from across the province, the Rosetown Red Wings were crowned champions at the end of the weekend-long event.

The tournament was originally hosted by Travis Sorenson in 2023. Sorenson discovered that his son’s hockey coach, Tyson Hobbins, had a son who had to travel to Toronto for major surgery. The cost of the trip and other expenses began to mount for the Hobbins family, so Sorenson took action. By collecting raffle and silent auction items and organizing a tournament in less than a month, Sorenson created the Fletcher Cup, in honor of Hobbins’ son. The first Fletcher Cup raised more than $10,000 for the Hobbins family and the Make-a-Wish Foundation.

When Sorenson wanted to continue the tournament as a way to help other families with complex children, Fletcher’s mother Ashley knew who the next recipients should be. Chad and Hannah Graham of Neilburg have two young boys, Joshua and Declan. Both boys have been diagnosed with I-Cell disease, also known as Muscolipidosis 2 (ML2), and with another little one on the way, the Grahams found that traveling as a family became quite busy.

Children with ML2 require much more medical equipment and appointments. Now that the Grahams call Neilburg home, those appointments are almost two hours away and last more than a day. When the family received the call that they were the Fletcher Cup recipient, the family began making plans for a larger van.

“With all the boys’ medical supplies and equipment, the vehicle is quite full,” Hannah said.

Since their first story appeared in the Unity-Wilkie Press Herald / SASKTODAY.ca, Chad and Hannah have made the decision to move to Indiana. There, a family with three daughters diagnosed with ML2 opened their home to them.

“We will get much more support there. One of the best hospitals working with I-Cell children is in Indiana, just an hour’s drive from where we will be. There will also be many more children with I-Cell in the area, giving the boys the freedom to interact with other children,” says Hannah.

While she and her husband appreciated everything the communities have done for their families over the years. The family will be moving in early July and the Grahams are looking forward to the future with their children, however long it may last.