In this, his moment of professional derailment, it is a child he remembers.
"It was a T-Ball banquet in Hamilton years ago and I was the celebrity guest. After it was over, I heard a small voice 'Mr. Evraire, can I get your card?' It was a little boy about five or six. I gave him my autographed football card and then I heard, 'Mr. Evraire, do you want to swap shirts?'
"So I took off my Tiger-Cats jersey and gave it to him, and he took off his little T-Ball jersey covered in mustard and ketchup stains, a real mess, and gave it to me. He took off his baseball cap and I saw that he was completely bald. I'd seen that look before in children and I was right -- he had cancer. Leukemia. He thanked me and was gone.
"A year later outside our dressing room after Winnipeg kicked the crap out of us I heard a voice, 'Mr. Evraire, Mr. Evraire.' It was him. The second thing I'd noticed is that he had on my same Tiger-Cat jersey and it was covered in mustard and ketchup. The first thing I'd noticed is that he had a full head of curly hair, just like my hair looked when I was a little boy."
Affirmation that hope never dies.
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