To the Editor:
On January 16 the BHS Ice Hockey Team left for a four-day trip to Orlando for a tournament and visit to Disney. Our 16-year-old son Ben was looking forward to his first trip with the team. Although some of the players’ parents chose to travel with the team, my husband and I decided not to go. On the first night, with only five minutes left in their game, Ben suffered a broken collarbone. Having your child injured when you aren’t there is hard, but being 900 miles away is one of a parent’s worst nightmares. By 2 a.m. we knew that the break was more severe than we thought, and Ben would need surgery. I was on the first plane out, but it still took some time to get there. Coach Harvey Boehm and trainer Tracy Power stepped in to act as Ben’s surrogate mom and dad until one of us could be with him. They did everything from ensuring he was taken to the very best hospital to never leaving his side until I could be there. Once I was there, they stayed by both of our sides until Ben was safely out of surgery. We can’t thank them enough for taking care of our son as if he was their own. We would also like to extend our gratitude to the entire BHS ice hockey team, assistant coaches, stat girls, and parents who were there to support Ben and me in every way. And we also want to thank hockey dad Mark Orlowski, who gave up his own vacation time and went out of his way to help with rides to and from the airport, pharmacy, and hospital. We learned firsthand that the BHS hockey community is much more than just a team: they are a family, and a family that we are proud to be a part of.
LAUREN AND MICHAEL DELLABELLA