Sticking it to Cancer floor hockey tournament

Patchogue-Medford School District held their annual Stick It to Cancer floor hockey tournament. This year’s tournament was dedicated to Paulina Sanchez, a 10th-grade student at Patchogue-Medford High School. 

She was diagnosed with leukemia in sixth grade in 2020. She experienced chemotherapy through 2022, which was not working. It was elevated to more severe chemotherapy in Philadelphia, which was again not working. This resulted in her receiving bone marrow from her father in 2022.

Today, Paulina is doing better but continues to take medication, undergo blood work, and monitor her progress with Stony Brook University Hospital.

“I can attest that Paulina is an incredibly hard-working student and humble beyond her years,” said Ryan Munkwitx, the organizer of the event and Paulina’s earth science teacher at Pat-Med High School. “Her parents are equally amazing and very appreciative of all of the support our community has provided to assist with Paulina’s medical bills.”
During the event, the winning student team was named as Travis and Them. They were awarded trophies, medals, and hoodies with the wording “Champions of the 10th Anniversary Stick It to Cancer Floor Hockey Tournament.”

The winning adult team was Procare Physical Therapy.

Local businesses Procare Physical Therapy and the Cirigliano Agency both offered to contribute $10 for every goal scored to the donations for Paulina. The respective owners of each business are Patchogue-Medford alumni and are members of the District’s Hall of Fame. The current total raised from this year’s event is over $5,600.

The year's event totaled 99 goals scored. Procare Physical Therapy and the Cirigliano Agency rounded that up to $1,000.

The Suffolk County Sheriff's Office joined the fundraiser as well as a late addition. The office donated $200 to Paulina. The office said in future years they aim to increase the donation to the tournament

Along with much of the donations going to Paulina and her family, the remaining proceeds have been donated to the Stick It to Cancer Scholarship and the Sean Dixon Scholarship at Patchogue-Medford High School.