In 2019, then 11-year-old Laila Anderson was fighting for her life and celebrating the St. Louis Blues' Stanley Cup win. This year, the 15-year-old won a Missouri title as a player herself alongside her Chesterfield Lady Falcons.
In 2019, then 11-year-old Laila Anderson was fighting for her life and celebrating the St. Louis Blues' Stanley Cup win. This year, the 15-year-old won a Missouri title as a player herself alongside her Chesterfield Lady Falcons.
In 2019, there were several battles going on, both on and off the ice in Missouri. The first, was that of 11-year-old Laila Anderson, who had been diagnosed with a rare auto-immune disease known as hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis. Things did not look good for Anderson. The second was being fought on the ice by the St. Louis Blues. Things did not look good for the Blues either, sitting last in the NHL in January, 2019.
Over the coming months however, the Blues climbed in the standings, and Anderson's health slowly improved. The two game together many times, as Anderson cheered on the Blues, becoming the team's lucky charm of sorts. The result was a Stanley Cup for the Blues, and now, years later, Laila Anderson raised a cup of her own, winning the Missouri state title as Blue Note Cup champions in the 14U Bantam B3 division.
Her Chesterfield Lady Falcons beat St. Peters 6-3 in the final as one of only two all-girls teams to qualify for the tournament. It's a tournament that has been a collaboration between the NHL's St. Louis Blues and the Missouri Hockey Youth Division since 2017.
Today, Anderson is not only a healthy hockey player, but she's a community contributor as volunteer for Be My Match, the organization she credits with saving her life.
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