TORONTO — From cancer diagnosis to return to play, Oskar Lindblom had Jim McCrossin there for him through his fight with a rare form of bone cancer.
Now that McCrossin and assistant athletic trainer Sal Raffa have received their own diagnoses, Lindblom is trying to be there for them through their own battles with their health. He said Tuesday that McCrossin helped him stay positive through his fight, so that’s what he’s trying to do in return.
McCrossin and Raffa received their diagnoses in the spring and summer of 2021. The lawsuit they filed against team ownership on April 12 stated that McCrossin developed “rare medical conditions of essential thrombocythemia, myeloproliferative neoplasm, and most recently, myelofibrosis (blood cancer), which is incurable.” Raffa also developed essential thrombocythemia, a rare blood disorder that causes the bone marrow to produce a higher-than-normal platelet count, increasing the risk of blood clots.
