Amanda Wilson is a huge fan of the Washington Capitals. She grew up in the area and has been patiently waiting for her team to make it past the second round of the playoffs for years.
Unfortunately, she was diagnosed with leiomyosarcoma of the inferior vena cava, which is an extremely rare form of cancer. So, after her diagnosis in February, her, her husband and her children moved to Minnesota so that she could get extensive treatment at the Mayo Clinic.
The Wilson’s have had to follow this playoff run from a distance. But after the Caps lost the first two games of their first-round series against the Columbus Blue Jackets, Amanda received a special Caps jersey from her friends with the no. 20 on the back (her old soccer number). The nameplate reads “AmandaStrong”. Very cool.
As we all know, the Capitals came back to win their series against Columbus and after they took down the Penguins in six games, Wilson’s husband told NBC Sports Washington that Amanda cried “tears of joy”.
Amanda’s doctors cleared her to travel back home so that she could watch Game 3 and 4 of the Eastern Conference Final against Tampa Bay in person. Not only did she go to Game 3, she also got to attend the morning skate, where she got to meet and take a picture with center Nicklas Backstrom.
The Capitals didn’t end up winning Game 3, but her and her entire family still came away with memories that will last a lifetime. And on a positive note, her Caps still lead the best-of-seven series 2-1.
MORE:
• Conference Finals schedule, TV info
• NBC’s Stanley Cup Playoff Hub
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Joey Alfieri is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @joeyalfieri.