Panthers Play With Pediatric Patients

Look who's playing hockey in a hospital!

Hockey was being played in an unlikely setting Monday – a hospital hallway.

The Florida Panthers scored some major points off the ice at the Holiday Hangout for Broward General’s Chris Evert Children’s Hospital.
 
Defenseman Ed Jovanovski showed a few patients some moves.
 
“I have four children and it’s always tough coming in and seeing these situations, but if you can put a smile on their face, it makes our day for sure,” Jovanovski said.
 
Two years ago Kareem Rhiman was very sick with an aggressive form of leukemia. On Monday he enjoyed the opportunity to play with a Panther and said “it’s exciting.”
 
It was exciting and emotional for his mother Nafeeza Rhiman, who took pictures from the sidelines.
 
“It makes me happy and proud to see that he can run around and do the things that he can do now,” she said, as tears filled her eyes.
 
Defenseman Brian Campbell tapped into his artistic talents, sitting at a child-size table working on some holiday decorations.
 
“I’m sure their days are the same and for us to come here and change it up and add some new faces, hopefully it makes the time go by a little quicker,” Campbell said.
 
Sitting across the table from him was 15-year-old Valentina Londono. She’s been spending a lot of time in the oncology unit.
 
“I was diagnosed with cancer in February 2011. I got rhabdomyosarcoma stage 4 and my treatments are a year long. I end in March,” she said with a smile.
 
She is getting treatment as an outpatient now, which means she will be home for Christmas.
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