Andrew D’Agostini desires nothing more than to make a difference
There’s more to life than the game of hockey.
A lesson former Peterborough Pete and now Guelph Gryphons goaltender, Andrew D’Agostini, recognized after only a single season in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL).
“The entire city and the people of Peterborough, they were so good to me,” D’Agostini said of the feeling he was left with following his rookie year. “I wanted to give back and was looking for the opportunity to do that.”
That opportunity would come knocking in the form of a boy named Anthony in 2011-12, D’Agostini’s third season manning the crease for the Petes.
Anthony has cystic fibrosis, a disease that primarily affects the body’s lungs and digestive system.
Tracy Romanelli, Anthony’s mother, shared his story with the Petes prior to the club’s game dedicated to cystic fibrosis awareness.
“He didn’t get to live like a normal kid should,” D’Agostini remembered of his introduction to the condition. “He didn’t have many friends because he wasn’t in school consistently, [he was] always traveling to Sick Kids Hospital. A lot of different things affected him, both mentally and physically.”
Anthony, proving he was no different than any other young hockey fan, was too shy to join his mom in the recounting of his story, and, instead, provided the simple request of meeting some of his favourite players he had grown to idolize through listening to the Petes play on the radio.
D’Agostini was one of them.
Greeting and signing an autograph for this fan, however, wasn’t quite like the rest.
“I felt a connection to him and his mom right away,” the Scarborough, Ontario native said of meeting Anthony for the first time. “In my first couple of years, whether it was taking a picture or helping out in whatever way, it made me feel good, so to do this – to take it to the next level – it was perfect.”
To finish the 2011-12 season, D’Agostini introduced Saves for CF, with the support of the Petes franchise and two local organizations donating a dollar for every save made by the goaltenders donning the notorious Peterborough-maroon. Swapping that maroon for red and gold this year, D’Agostini has prompted the University of Guelph to participate in the Saves for CF cause, with Frank & Steins as the sponsor.
For his efforts, in addition to other community outreach, D’Agostini was awarded the Dan Snyder Memorial Trophy as the OHL’s Humanitarian of the Year following the season – something the humble netminder neglected to share when passionately discussing how far the initiative has come.
D’Agostini, instead, talked of the evolution of the initiative, from raising around $8,000 the first year, jumping to a remarkable $13,000 in his fifth and final year with the Petes two years later.
“It’s not about how much we raise,” the now-Gryphon added. “It’s just that we’re making a difference in a small way.”
For D’Agostini, it’s always been about how he can help.
“When I met Tracy, all I wanted to know was what I needed to do to help, how to be involved,” he explained, further describing the Great Strides walk – an annual event that happens across Canada to raise awareness and funds for cystic fibrosis, an event Anthony’s Mom introduced to the netminder.
This year, the walk is taking place on May 31, and D’Agostini more than plans to join Anthony in Peterborough once again for the event.
Until then, D’Agostini will be raising funds for cystic fibrosis through his sponsorship page with only one goal in mind.
“I’m just trying to give Anthony, his Mom, and everyone else affected by it, hope that something is going to be done sooner rather than later.”
That hope, however, is so much bigger than the dollar amount for No. 30.
“I learned that it doesn’t take a lot of your time to make a difference, and that small act can go such a long way,” D’Agostini said, adding that the real message of his efforts stands in everyone’s ability to make a difference. “It’s so easy, and it makes me feel as good as them to know I’m helping them in some way.”
Emphasizing his dedication to fight in the battle against cystic fibrosis, D’Agostini continued, talking of plans to maintain and improve the ways he has made an impact thus far as he gets older.
“It’s changed my life.”
A feeling surely shared by Anthony Romanelli.