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"Pack the House Night" benefit scheduled for March 26 to help teen cancer patient

March 4, 2011 - Central Hockey League (CHL)
Dayton Gems News Release


DAYTON, OH - The Dayton Gems have announced a number of different promotions that will be taking place on the evening of Saturday, March 26 when the Gems take on Quad City at Hara Arena.

The Gems will be hosting a silent auction, a jersey auction and will be giving away 1,000 black youth jerseys at the gate thanks to Greater Ohio Virtual School. All of these events are part of the Gems' "Pack the House" promotion presented by ITT. The entire evening is focused on helping Kyle Terrian, an area teenager with cancer.

According to Kyle's mother, Lori, Kyle has a rare disease known as desmoplastic small round cell tumor and there are only about 200 other known cases. Since being diagnosed in mid-January, Kyle has been through several rounds of chemotherapy and will begin radiation soon so he can beat the disease that is attacking his lungs and other major organs in his abdomen region.

Since being diagnosed, Kyle and his family have had to make several unexpected trips to the hospital to monitor the severity of Kyle's illness. The trips have caused the Bethel High School graduate to pull out of engineering classes at Ohio University so he can be near his family and receive the treatment he needs in order to survive.

As the days go by and the family's financial situation becomes more difficult, Kyle's younger brother Ryan - an avid hockey fan and goaltender for a local youth team - has been doing everything he can to try and raise money to help his big brother fight this disease.

The Dayton Gems are now giving Ryan a chance to help his family financially while Kyle takes on an illness that has been known to be fatal.

A majority of the proceeds from the auctions will go to the Terrian family to help them with medical expenses.

In addition to the proceeds from the auction, the Gems will also be donating $1,000 for every 1,000 fans in attendance. If the Gems sellout the 5,500 seat Hara Arena, the organization will donate $10,000 to the Kyle Terrian Fund.

The Gems are also hopeful that Kyle Terrian will be able to attend the game as well. If Kyle's health allows him to attend the game for just a little while, Kyle and his family will do the pregame puckdrop for everyone in attendance.

The Gems will be offering special ticket process for the game to try and ensure a sellout for the evening. Tickets will be just $7 if they are ordered before noon on Friday, March 25. After that, all tickets will be $10.

Season ticket holders can purchase additional tickets for the game at just $6.

While all of this is going on, the Greater Ohio Virtual School will be sponsoring a youth jersey giveaway. The first 1,000 youngsters ages 12 and under will receive a free replicate youth jersey of the black uniforms the Gems will be wearing that night.

The Gems held their first ever youth jersey giveaway last Saturday, Feb. 26, and it was a huge success. They are hoping for an even bigger turnout on March 26 since there will be twice the jerseys to handout.

The Kettering Medical Center is proud to be the official title sponsor of the Gems for the 2010-11 season.

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