KOURISTRONG: ONE IOWA WILD FAN’S FIGHT AGAINST CANCER
Nov 2, 2022It’s 6 p.m. on the Saturday before Halloween, and the Iowa Wild are a couple hours removed from their first win of the season over the Manitoba Moose, a 5-2 triumph in Winnipeg. 600 miles away from the Canada Life Centre, one of their biggest fans, Ethan Kouri, is looking for a win of his own as he plans out his week.
Considering what Ethan has battled through in the last two years, the energy he emits defies expectations. He’s excited to share his story ahead of Hockey Fights Cancer Night on Friday at Wells Fargo Arena, where he and his family will be recognized ahead of puck drop.
As he recalls memories of the early years of Iowa Wild hockey, the phone rings.
“Do you mind if I get this?” Ethan asks. “It’s the hospital, I should probably answer it.”
A 10 YEAR SEASON TICKET HOLDER
Ethan and his brother, Connor, grew up in Des Moines and attended East High School. Like many Iowans, they didn’t know much about hockey when the Iowa Wild dropped the puck on their inaugural season in 2013. Most of what they knew about the sport came from video games.
“My mom figured it would be something me and my brother would enjoy and bond over,” he says. “We started at the very beginning in Section 102.”
The Kouri family never turned back, attending countless games over the next several years. As the brothers started families of their own, they attended fewer games but still always bought season ticket packages. Every year, they returned to Section 102, where they grew an extended family of other Iowa Wild superfans.
“That’s how we met Ann and Ray,” remembers Ethan. “They sat across the tunnel from us in 102 and we’d always chirp the opposing players. Sometimes the other team would talk trash back. It’s a little more levelheaded now that we have kids, though.”
Ethan and his brother would go on to forge many friendships with other fans in the concourse and at team events. His relationship with Ann Breeding, however, turned out to be more meaningful than he could have imagined.
BATTLING CANCER
Ethan’s cancer diagnosis arrived two years ago. It was unexpected, like most diagnoses, particularly because he was only 30 years old.
“I got AML (Acute Myeloid Leukemia). It’s like a blood cancer. I needed a stem cell transplant because my blood cells were producing bad blood,” he explains.
The hospital didn’t have good matches for Ethan’s stem cell transplant, but he caught a break when his sister turned out to be a match. She donated her stem cells to Ethan, who began a long and arduous process.
“I was at Methodist for 40-some days,” he says. “Then I was in Iowa City for four to six weeks, which was really hard because I have two children and a wife. It was during the height of Covid, so they couldn’t come see me at all.”
Fortunately, the transplant went well. Ethan received treatment and rested up while his cancer went into remission. 10 days from receiving the go ahead from his doctors to go back to work, though, he developed a tumor in his right bicep that had AML in it.
It was a rare relapse, one that he’s currently battling.
A MAN WITH A PLAN
After spending five minutes on the phone with the hospital, Ethan emerges from the call with a clear view of the week ahead.
“The plan is to do two rounds of chemo. I got done with my first round last Saturday. I have to wait for my levels to come up to a certain number and then they’ll do that same regimen again for the second time. Then, I’ll go to Iowa City for a CT scan on my bone marrow so they can see what the cancer is doing. After that, I’ll get some radiation to my arm to get rid of that tumor.”
Ethan describes the process in a matter-of-fact manner most people reserve for describing weekend errands. He admits that despite his prior experience, it’s still an up and down ride.
“Right when you feel good, they want to hit you with more chemo,” he says. “That’s the only way they can really fight it. But I’m blessed to still be here and I keep a positive attitude. It’s going to be a short little story in a long life as I watch my kids grow up.”
WILD MOMENTS AT WELLS FARGO ARENA
Ethan is ready and willing to talk about his battle with cancer, but he’s truly excited to talk about the Wild. His favorite players over the past ten years have been the brawlers; players unafraid to take a punch and throw one back.
Some of his fondest memories of the team came right before his initial cancer diagnosis. He and many die-hard fans waited years for the team’s first postseason appearance and playoff series win, which both came following the 2018-19 season. The following season started out even better for Ethan and Wild fans.
“We had Sam Anas, Gerry Mayhew, Kappo Kahkonen, and I guarantee you we would have won it all,” he exclaims. “But then they shut the season down.”
Ethan can identify with the highs and lows of hockey. He says that the opening night of the team’s 10th anniversary season on Oct. 14 was one of his favorites.
“I know we lost. But we were down three goals. We came back, went into overtime, and went into a shootout. Those are my favorite times. When you’re down and out and the boys start rallying, it’s electrifying,” he says.
Even Ethan’s selection for current favorite player says quite a bit about him.
“Me and my brother love that Hicketts kid,” he beams. “He was tearing it up in that opening game. He’s a savage. I just love his hustle. He grinds it out for a little dude. He ain’t afraid to drop and take one. Those are the guys that make a difference.”
FRIENDS GIVING BACK
For years, Ethan and his brother made a difference in the lives of season ticket holders around them. They brought smiles to the faces of those nearby with their rambunctious energy, particularly when it was directed at the visiting team. Once Ethan was diagnosed with cancer, it was Ann Breeding’s turn to return the favor.
Ann and Ethan’s friends and family collaborated with a video company to help share his story. His community rallied to help provide financial support, cook for his family, and help with his kids. Despite facing an incredible uphill climb and times where he was forced to be alone in the hospital for weeks on end, Ethan always knew that he had an extended family by his side.
Ann went the extra mile for Ethan when she reached out to the Iowa Wild ahead of the season to see if the team that he’d spent so long supporting could give back to him. The team’s community relations department targeted Hockey Fights Cancer Night as an opportunity to share Ethan’s story and raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
WHAT IT MEANS TO ETHAN KOURI
Ethan isn’t sure whether he’ll be at the game Friday. He is going back and forth with the hospital on scheduling a stay.
“About five days after I get chemo, I usually get a really bad fever,” he says. “So I might have to spend a few nights in the hospital while that clears up.”
Regardless, he considers himself blessed to be on the receiving end of recognition by a team he’s spent so long cheering for. He says that the Wild and its staff have provided his family with countless memories and pieces of memorabilia over the past decade.
“I’ve been coming there since the beginning,” Ethan says. “For the Wild to support me and want to do it speaks volumes about the organization.”
It’s 6:30 p.m. and the last half hour with Ethan Kouri has felt like five minutes. He may be even more energetic than when he first got on the phone, and thirty minutes talking to him have made two things clear.
First, cancer has not affected his spirit. If anything, it’s only made it stronger.
Second, the man loves the Iowa Wild.