Game Face On

Hockey enthusiast Geoff Eaton faces-off against leukemia – and plays the game of his life. Read Geoff's story in The Healing Circle, by Rob Rutledge and Timothy Walker.

Photo © iStockPhoto.com/walik

Geoff Eaton stands 6 foot 5, has a mischievous smile and a twinkle in his eye. At age 22, St. John’s Newfoundland was his home. Geoff was studying business full-time in university and running his own marketing company. He also played an intense game of hockey and partied often with his friends. Almost overnight, Geoff seemed to lose his energy. His buddies blew past him on the ice. He chalked this up to his weight, then 225 pounds. One night, turning to place his drink down at a business reception, he fellover backwards and woke up staring at the ceiling. Intuitively he knew his life was about to change dramatically.

The doctors found Geoff had acute myeloid leukemia (AML), a rare and very serious blood cancer. The cancer cells were crowding out the normal blood cells, putting him at risk for severe infections, bleeding, and sapping his life energy. Geoff was given six hours to leave the hospital to prepare for a prolonged hospital admission. Facing six hours that could be his last out in the world, he went to his apartment to get music, gym pants, and his pillow. Twice he went to Signal Hill, the local mountain, overlooking his coastal city. From these heights, a fierce determination was arising. Geoff wanted to do…