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Ron Duguay’s family has called for love and prayers amid his cancer battle.
On Sunday, the former Ranger star’s daughter, Shay Thomas, shared a photo of her kneeling before Duguay in a hospital bed with her hand on his lap. She asked for “all the prayers we can get” as Duguay battles Stage 4 colon cancer, which spread to his liver.
“I wasn’t planning on posting anything. but I believe in the power of prayer, and right now, we need all the prayers we can get. And I know so many love him so much. Please keep our dad in your prayers. @noah_duguay @amberstavros” Thomas wrote in the Instagram post.
The family announced Duguay’s diagnosis in February and set up a GoFunMe page.
The 69-year-old suffered a scary collapse at home in July and was rushed to the hospital. He suffered facial injuries and doctors went on to determine that he fainted due to dehydration after Duguay was feeling unwell and had difficulty eating.
Due to the incident, Duguay lost all of his veneers and two of his natural teeth, Thomas described in a post that showed her dad smiling with a missing tooth. He also lost more after he returned home.
“Our dad @ronduguay10 continues to show us just how strong he is,” Thomas wrote on Instagram. “On Friday, he fainted at home, was unconscious, injured a few parts of his face, and knocked out a few teeth in the fall…this time, it wasn’t from hockey. He was taken by ambulance to the hospital.
“Because of the cancer in his liver, along with everything his liver has endured from surgery, chemotherapy, and the pump, pressure has built up inside the liver. That pressure can back up into the stomach and cause bleeding. The ulcer still needs further evaluation, but the bleeding and liver pressure are the major concerns right now.”
Duguay’s cancer developed in the colon over a year ago and he has since lost his appendix and gallbladder.
He spent eight of his 12 NHL seasons with the Rangers after he was selected No. 13 overall by the franchise in the 1977 amateur draft. He helped push the Blueshirts to the 1979 Stanley Cup Final and made his first and only All-Star game with the team in 1982, when he scored 40 goals.
He finished his career in 1989 with 274 goals and 346 assists across 864 games.
Duguay also had stints with the Red Wings, Penguins and Kings.
