When Ron Duguay learned of his stage 4 cancer diagnosis, the former New York Ranger attacked the grave news with the mindset of a champion.
“I was just all in — go hard, let’s hit this hard,” Duguay told the Daily Mail in an interview published Tuesday, days after the family of the former NHL center went public with his cancer battle.
It was a little under two years ago that Duguay fell ill at the Alaskan residence of his girlfriend, former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, and additional testing after his return to Florida revealed the disease.
Now a year into the fight, with the cancer originating in his colon and since costing him his gallbladder and appendix, Duguay is relying on the support of his loved ones and the kindness of strangers, many of whom have donated to a GoFundMe to help alleviate the staggering costs of treatment, with the former MSG Network analyst also exploring remedies beyond the borders of the United States.
“My dad never wanted to ever mention the stress of his finances,” daughter Shay Thomas told the Daily Mail. “But I could feel it and see it and the things that he was going through in the conversations that we were having.
“With his numbers jumping up again, we just felt as a family that we needed to reach out. And so many people were asking how they could help.”
Duguay — whose GoFundMe has amassed more than $120,000 as of Wednesday — has sought treatment via chemotherapy, ivermectin and “filtering his blood through an ozone machine,” according to the Daily Mail.
The 12-year NHL vet is also taking methylene blue, with its lone FDA-approved usage being “for the treatment of methemoglobinemia, a rare condition that restricts the ability of red blood cells to deliver oxygen throughout the body,” per Harvard University.
“I’ve been doing methylene blue, I’m gonna do a little bit more now. I could do that probably minimum once a week,” said Duguay, who has also pondered treatment facilities in Germany, Russia and Mexico that could provide “hyperbaric chamber treatment or be shocked with an electrical frequency.”
Given a 30-day stay at a treatment facility in Mexico costs between $40,000 and $50,000, Duguay’s inner circle is grateful for the outpouring of support he has received.
“In our family, we’re very much like, ‘We’ll figure it out,’ you know, and… we got to that point and so I just made [the GoFundMe] and the outreach and the love has been so amazing, and we’re just so grateful,” Thomas said.
Palin, who has been linked to Duguay since 2022, was seen helping the former Ranger in an Instagram video that surfaced last week.
Thomas described Duguay and Palin, 62, as “very close,” despite circumstances hindering time spent together.
“They haven’t been able to see each other as much lately because of what my dad is going through, and Sarah also has obligations caring for her son, Trig, who requires additional care,” Thomas said.
Palin shares five children, including Trig, with ex-husband Todd Palin.