Brian Boyle is a professional ice hockey player, currently playing for the New Jersey Devils. He is one of 13 children and grew up in Hingham. Brian attended St. Sebastian’s School, and then went on to play four years of ice hockey at Boston College. He was drafted to the Los Angeles Kings out of college.

Brian’s professional hockey career was thrown off course when he was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia in September 2017. He had no symptoms of cancer other than a “steady decline” in energy level. It wasn’t until a blood test, conducted in a team physical, that he discovered the cancer.

Throughout his treatment, Brian had to take 2 pills a day on an empty stomach. He felt some controllable side effects from his medication, but only missed 10 games throughout the course of his treatment.

After his diagnosis, Brian had a different perspective on hockey and life. He realized that

nothing was guaranteed and began to appreciate the smaller moments in life. When he scored his first goal after returning to the Devils, Brian teared up as he celebrated. He says that this was the first time he had ever cried after scoring.

Brian is supported by his wife, Lauren, his two-year-old son, infant daughter, and his parents, Artie and Judy.

Brian will be throwing out the first pitch tonight.

Dr. Stone received his MD in 1981 from Harvard Medical School, his internal medicine residency training at Brigham and Women's Hospital, and his hematology-oncology fellowship at DFCI. He is currently the Director of the Adult Acute Leukemia Program at DFCI, serves on the Medical Oncology Board of the American Board of Internal Medicine, and is vice chair of the Leukemia Core Committee for the national cooperative trials group Cancer and Leukemia Group B.