The family members of an Arizona State University ice hockey player left comatose after a team workout are asking people around the world to pray for him and his recovery.
John and Christina Mayich, the parents of 21-year-old Matthew, are living a parent’s worst nightmare: on August 20, just days after arriving at Arizona State University, Matthew collapsed during an outdoor workout with his hockey team, and has been hospitalised ever since.
The school is investigating the circumstances that led to Matthew’s collapse.
A lawyer for the family stated that Matthew, a native of Stoney Creek, Ontario, and a 2023 sixth-round draft pick of the St Louis Blues, has “zero chance of recovery” and that his brain was deprived of oxygen due to exertional heat stroke.
That prognosis, while devastating, has not caused his parents to give up hope for a miracle.
Speaking to the Canadian sports network Sportsnet, the Mayiches shared that they have two requests: for people to know about their son and his story, and for everyone, regardless of their faith, to pray for him.
“We’re taking it day by day,” said Christina. “We’re here praying hard, praying to our Lord for a miracle.”
Matthew, said John, “is a fighter”, and his family will be “giving him every chance to survive”.
“We’re devout Catholics,” said Christina. The Mayiches have a particular devotion to the Miraculous Medal and are stunned by the reach their son’s story has had. The Mayiches told Sportsnet that a priest from Kenya even reached out to share that he was praying for their son.
Another man, from England, sent a Miraculous Medal, a stone from Medjugorje and an image of Servant of God Clare Crockett, a nun whose cause for beatification is ongoing, said Christina. He did this before even knowing if the family was religious.
“And he took a chance, and he said, even if you don’t believe, there’s nothing to lose if you put this by Matthew’s head. So I did, because I was just so touched. And the next day I reached out to him, and he explained to me that he felt in his heart when he heard Matthew’s story that he needed to deliver this to us, to somehow find us. And he explained that he is disabled and doesn’t leave home often, but this time he did. And he said this rock and this medal were blessed from a place that is near and dear to us in Medjugorje,” she said.
Receiving that package, said Christina, “was a sign that Mary, our mother, is with us. And she is leading us to her son and giving us that peace and calm. So, we thank you from the bottom of our heart that you found us all the way from England.”
“There’s just so many, so many people we’ve met along the way that have touched our hearts and that are showing us the goodness of humanity, and they all give us hope and faith,” she added.
Matthew, said Christina, “is a simple boy from Stoney Creek, Ont., and we don’t know how he made it that far that people are praying for him.”
“It’s just proof that there’s a lot of great people out there. We’ve seen a different side of humanity that we would have never seen if we didn’t go through this.”
Members of the hockey community and beyond have been honouring Matthew with yellow ribbons. A “Ribbons for Matthew” page on Instagram has more than a thousand followers. The support means everything for the Mayiches.
“And I am so thankful, so thankful, so thankful for everyone and to share the story,” said Christina. “If we can get prayers, more prayers for Matthew, it would mean so much to us.”
