Pediatric Cancer Survivors get Private Tour of UBS Arena

Jim and Ryan Starace were in awe of the New York Islanders new home when they walked onto the UBS Arena construction site on Monday morning.
Eight-year-old Ryan got a kick out of seeing the arena bowl, picturing where the ice will eventually be. His father, Jim, said he could almost hear the "Let's Go Islanders!" chants that will soon fill the building when getting a tour of the grand entrance.

It was a special visit for the father and son, but not just because they are bigtime Islanders fans. The arena visit served as something to look forward to when Ryan was in the hospital getting his Mediport removed a week prior.
"This is a good pick-me-up because he had a really tough week," Jim Starace said. "Now we get to come here, and see where the Islanders are going to play for the foreseeable future."
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Ryan is in remission after nearly four years of battling Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL), which is the most important thing to the Starace family. The visit to UBS Arena is just a nice touch from their favorite hockey team, who have been by their side over the past several years.
"Throughout the whole entire thing, the Islanders have been very generous," Jim Starace said. "We've been invited to multiple games and multiple events and really once they found out that Ryan was an Islander fan, they've gone above and beyond what I thought that any organization would do for a child and because of that I know our family is going to be lifelong Islanders fans."
Five pediatric patients - and the family of a sixth - were on hand at the UBS Arena site on Monday, getting a private tour from team and construction officials. They are the second group of fans to get a tour of the building, walking the concourse, seeing the locker room locations, the grand entrance and the view of the ice from the 300 level. They took pictures with Sparky the Dragon, ate a catered lunch from Blue Line Deli and signed a beam that will be placed in the roof at UBS Arena.
"It's huge and I'm excited to see how it looks in a year," said Vincent Buck, who recently completed treatment for bone cancer in his spine.
Buck, who is 18, took his father, Scott, on the tour with him. The two watched the Islanders run to the Eastern Conference Final while Buck was in the hospital getting treatment. He said it was special to be able to get a sneak peek at the arena and hopes to see the team make the jump to the Stanley Cup Final at UBS Arena.

All of the families at Monday's event have fought bravely and hard against cancer. That spirit of perseverance was strong in eight-year-old Cianna Tunstall, who was diagnosed with bone cancer and whose broken leg was in a brace after a recent surgery. She is using a walker to get around, but that didn't stop her from navigating the arena site with her father Michael. The Islanders will get credit for persevering on the ice at UBS Arena in due time, but for now, Cianna is setting the tone for toughness.
"She's Cianna the Warrior Princess," her father said. "Very proud of her, she's a fighter and keeps going every day."
Typically, the Isles would host these families at a game during Hockey Fights Cancer month, but with no games on the calendar due to COVID-19, giving them a look at where the games will be played was the next best thing. After all, Monday's visit was just a chance to lift the spirits of some hockey fans who've been through a lot and give them a VIP experience.
"We've met a lot of people who have helped us out through our tough time and our tough journey," Michael said. "It's really cool that sports teams are helping out all the children and making them have a good time and feel good again."