TICKETS: The Go Goodwin’s Manchester Storm are back in PINK this Sunday 23rd October, as we help raise fund for The Christie when the Edinburgh Capitals come to the Storm Shelter. Face off is at 5:30pm and tickets can be ordered online or by calling the box office on 0161 926 8782, or in person at the box office.

We spoke to Storm super fan & member of The Forecast Podcast, Simon Harris, about why the #PinkTheRink nights are so important to the club, The Christie, and Manchester! Read what he has to say below……

“Aren’t we lucky, we have a great club in Manchester Storm doing the Pink The Rink night this Sunday for a great charity in The Christie hospital!

Ahh luck, well good luck isn’t something people normally associate me with, they think I have terrible luck but I guess it’s just the way you look at it. I myself was diagnosed with lung cancer on April 1^st (I kid you not) 2008. Bit of a shock for a non smoking athletic machine that I was back then, but nonetheless I had it and I was told it was the really bad nasty kind of cancer too, just my bad luck eh?

Fast forward a month or so on and i have ¾’s of my right lung missing, i’m all stitched up from the wonderful guys over at Wythenshawe hospital and then i find myself sat in the Christie Hospital. As I’m waiting to see my Doctor I get talking to the guy sat next to me, he had to come all the way from Birmingham for his appointments to see his specialist. It was then that it sunk in, The Christie really was “THE” place to be if you were unlucky enough to have cancer, people come from far and wide to be treated there. And here was me, lucky enough to have a specialist, one of only two in the country, right on my door step, the luck didn’t stop there as Dr Mansoor ended up telling me I didn’t have the big bad nasty type of cancer they first thought and that instead I had a quite rare and little known type of cancer, and I didn’t need any other treatment, even more good luck.

Fast forward a few more years and we got the great news Manchester Storm were back which I have to say I was elated about, the club I loved were back and, wait they’re doing a Pink The Rink night for the Christie? Wow, I thought how great’s this, my team, who I’ve wished for years to return are not only back playing again, they’re going to wear special pink jerseys and help raise money for the hospital that I’m still an outpatient of. I have to say I was pretty proud of the club for doing that.

The actual Pink The Rink night if you weren’t there last season was a blast, great atmosphere, the jerseys looked great, special Storm pink t-shirts were available to buy with profits going to the Christie too. I didn’t have the cash to buy a jersey at the time that were put up for grabs but I thought I’d buy a SOTB ticket or twenty to try and snatch one, after all, the money was going to the Christie so it was a win/win situation for me. Well I did win the SOTB that night, lucky me. I was also lucky enough to be asked by club management to help hand over the cheque to the Christie with Coach Omar Pacha, which I must say I was immensely proud to do.

So now Manchester Storm are gearing up to do their second Pink the rink night and it’s been over 8 years since cancer put me in the hands of the Christie and after countless visits, scans, blood tests (I hate needles) i’m still being looked after by one of the top cancer hospitals in the world, now aren’t I lucky, or should I say aren’t we all lucky to have that?

You only have to look at the Storms warm up shirts to see the names of the people that the Christie has touched in way or another. It’s now said that one in every two of us will be affected by cancer at some stage in our lives, that’s quite a scary thought isn’t it (?) but the Christie is a hospital to be very proud of, it’s at the cutting edge of cancer treatment and the people who work there are some of the very best around. AND, it’s in Manchester too.

So please, let’s get as many people along on Sunday to support this wonderful charity, bring your friends, family, work colleagues along with you, and whilst you’re having fun and joining in with Pink The Rink at this Sunday’s game, please make sure you all fill the collection buckets as much as you can, or go and buy a shed load of SOTB tickets as you never know, you might be lucky like me 😉

See you all Sunday,

Si

TICKETS: The Go Goodwin’s Manchester Storm are back in PINK this Sunday 23rd October, as we help raise fund for The Christie when the Edinburgh Capitals come to the Storm Shelter. Face off is at 5:30pm and tickets can be ordered online or by calling the box office on 0161 926 8782, or in person at the box office.