Islanders surprise family, F.D. with playoff tickets

By KARInA KOVAC kkovac@liherald.com

The New York Islanders gave the Graham family of Oceanside, and four other families, the surprise of a lifetime on April 22. Islanders co-owner Jon Ledecky gave all the families playoff tickets for the April 23 playoff game against the Carolina Hurricanes.

The Grahams, whose 1-yearold son Cooper has been fighting neuroblastoma, sadly received a new diagnosis a few days after the surprise: The cancer has spread and is no longer treatable. But for one Sunday, the family came together to cheer on their favorite team, which unfortunately lost the game, 5-2.

Parents Rachel and Michael Graham grew up watching the Islanders in their homes, and when they had their kids — Riley, 5, and Cooper — they all started watching the games together. So, as longtime Islanders fans, they were thrilled to receive the tickets and attend the game at the UBS Arena, where they had never been.

Ledecky also had another surprise: tickets for Michael’s firehouse, Hose Company No. 3, along with T-shirts and hats.

Rachel expressed her gratitude for the gesture and continued support her family has received, within and beyond the community, in their time of need. “There aren’t really words to describe the feeling that our community has been behind us this entire time. And it’s really, just, there aren’t any words,” she said.

The Islanders started a rela-

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Is held by his grandfather Andy Pergament, alongside Islanders co-owner Jon Ledecky, who surprised the Graham family with playoff tickets last weekend.