Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/1324324
JACK'S STORY IMAGINE BEING 23 YEARS OLD and living 3,000 miles away from home in central Alaska. Now imagine sitting alone in a doctor's office, with your parents only available to you via speaker phone, while you receive the devastating news that you have cancer. Welcome to the world of Jack Weiss. In November of 2017, less than two months into his junior season at the University of Alaska-Fairbanks, and just weeks after scoring his first collegiate goal, Weiss was diagnosed with testicular cancer. Three years later, the former Bloomington Jefferson Jaguar standout (2009-13) still finds it difficult to describe the moment. "Kind of like the worst drop in your stomach that you can imag- ine," Weiss said. "It's hard to explain that emotion but it was tough." It began as a lump Weiss detected on a self-examination the previous spring. A trip to the family doctor that summer failed to yield a cause for concern. But when Weiss approached Nanooks Team Physician, Dr. Cary Keller, about it, Keller immediately scheduled a series of tests, including an ultrasound, which con- firmed his suspicion. Within two weeks, Weiss was back in Minnesota undergoing surgery to remove the tumorous testicle at the Mayo Clinic. Tests revealed the cancer had spread to his lymph system, requiring a trio of three-week rounds of chemotherapy. "I would get treatment for anywhere from like five to seven hours Monday through Friday that first week," Weiss said. "And then the second and third week of each round, I would just go one day a week for about an hour, hour and a half." How Jack Weiss and Will Francis battled against cancer with the support of their hockey communities 16 M H J ON L I N E . C O M | J A N / F E B 2 0 2 1 Photos / Alaska Fairbanks; Tim Kolehmainen After grueling operations and treatment in the summer of 2018, Jack Weiss, the walk-on, fought his way back into the opening-night lineup that October.