Ron Duguay, the 68-year-old former New York Rangers star, is battling aggressive Stage 4 cancer. His family has set up a GoFundMe campaign to help cover mounting treatment costs, including experimental options outside the United States that they hope will give him "the best possible chance."

According to Fox News, over $66,000 had been raised as of Wednesday.

Duguay was diagnosed with colon cancer more than a year ago, according to Page Six, and has since lost his appendix and gallbladder during treatment. He is currently flying from Florida to California every two weeks to receive care near his children in Orange County, after earlier treatment in Florida, in his family's words, "nearly cost him his life."

A Man Who Helped Others Now Needs Help Himself

Duguay first opened up about his health to Page Six, and the fundraiser his family created carries the unmistakable tone of people who know their father would never have done this on his own.

"Our dad has never been someone who asks for help …especially when it comes to money. He has always tried to handle everything on his own and didn't want to burden anyone else with what he's going through. But after many conversations as a family, we decided to create this fundraiser for him because we've seen firsthand the weight this battle has placed on him, both physically and financially."

Duguay himself acknowledged how difficult the process has been. "I find it extremely hard asking for funds for all these costs I'm going through," he said. "Normally, I'm helping others."

That single line tells you everything about the man. There is a particular kind of pride that belongs to people who built their lives around self-reliance, who measure their worth partly by what they can do for the people around them. Asking for help doesn't come naturally. It costs something beyond money.

A Rising Threat

The family's update paints a picture of a fight that is far from over. His current treatments in California have helped stabilize his condition, but the trajectory has shifted.

"Recently, his cancer numbers have started to rise again, and while he continues his current treatments, we are now exploring additional treatment options outside of the United States in hopes of giving him the best possible chance. These treatments are very expensive and add another layer of financial strain during an already difficult time."

The fact that Duguay's family is looking abroad for treatment options speaks to a reality that millions of American families understand: when standard protocols stop working, the search for alternatives can become staggeringly expensive, and insurance rarely follows you across borders.

This is not a policy abstraction. This is a former professional athlete, someone who earned a good living and lived a full career, facing the kind of financial erosion that serious illness inflicts on families at every income level. Cancer does not care about your résumé.

The Career That Made Him a New York Icon

For hockey fans of a certain generation, Ron Duguay needs no introduction. Drafted 13th overall in 1977, he became one of the most recognizable figures in New York sports during the late 1970s and early 1980s. He was an instrumental part of the Rangers' run in the 1979 Stanley Cup Final.

Over an 11-year NHL career spanning 864 games, Duguay tallied 274 goals and 346 assists. Those numbers tell the statistical story. What they don't capture is the kind of player he was in the city: flashy, fearless, beloved.

New York embraced him, and he embraced it back. That relationship between athlete and city is rare enough to be worth noting now, when the man who gave so much on the ice is asking his community to rally one more time.

What Matters Now

There is something clarifying about stories like this. They strip away the noise. No political angles, no culture war, no talking points. Just a family fighting for their father's life and a man who spent his career entertaining millions now enduring something no amount of toughness can simply power through.

The funds raised so far show that people remember. Whether that number climbs high enough to cover what lies ahead is another question entirely.

Ron Duguay spent his life helping others. His family is betting that enough people noticed.