The Washington PostDemocracy Dies in Darkness

Penguins surprise young fan fighting cancer by bringing Stanley Cup to her home

June 17, 2017 at 9:27 p.m. EDT

The 6-year-old daughter of a Pittsburgh sports radio host got one heck of a surprise Saturday when she opened her family home’s front door to find the Penguins’ equipment manager with the Stanley Cup.

“No, no, no!” Darran Dunlap said in delightful disbelief as Danny Kroll came to the door holding the massive trophy that the team won earlier this week by beating the Nashville Predators in six games.

Dunlap, who was diagnosed with leukemia last year, looked happy as she later posed with the Cup, which was almost as big as her.

This is the second time the Penguins have surprised Darran. Earlier this year, team President Mario Lemieux sent a letter and an autographed puck to her while she underwent treatment for acute lymphoblastic leukemia in Pittsburgh’s Children’s Hospital. According to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, childhood cases of this type of cancer have a remission rate of 98 percent after patients begin treatment.

That gift followed one from last year, when Darran was first diagnosed, from then University of Pittsburgh running back James Conner, who overcame Hodgkin’s lymphoma and was drafted by the Steelers this year in the third round. Conner sent Darran a signed photo bearing the message, “Please stay strong and fight hard! Thinking of you!!”

Like on Saturday, Darran’s father, Colin Dunlap, who hosts a show on the city’s 93.7 The Fan, expressed his endless thanks for the kind gesture online.