Raising funds for a friend: Robert Cressaty’s way of paying it forward

After the third period of a hockey game, Brad decided to get off the ice and stay on the bench because he didn’t feel well. When the game was over, he went to lie down in the locker room because he felt a severe back pain. Once he went home, he put ice on his back to relieve the pain and decided to sleep it off. He didn’t wake up the next day.

When a dear friend abruptly loses his life due to a sudden massive heart attack, it shocks his whole family but also his community. Robert Cressaty lost a friend on October 6, 2021. One year later, he decided to pay tribute to Brad Davis by organizing a hockey game and raising funds for the Montreal Heart Institute Foundation, per his best friend Jarred’s request.

A year before Brad Davis passed away, Robert’s close friend Jarred Kotler had a massive cardiac arrest, but thankfully he managed to survive it. “When the idea came up in a conversation with Jarred about creating an event to pay tribute to Brad, I asked him if he wanted to be involved. He agreed under one condition: that the funds go directly to the Montreal Heart Institute Foundation, the hospital that saved his life. The man who has a heart working at one third of its capacity was supported by a team of 11 doctors and many caregivers who would accompany him in his new life.

A hockey fundraiser to raise awareness—because heart disease doesn’t discriminate

“The hockey players were the actual fundraisers. After the game, we held a social event in the arena where we invited many more friends and donors. The Montreal Heart Institute Foundation was there to explain its core values and provide information about where the funds would go. We were all very happy to hear the money would be used mainly for better medical equipment and developing services to improve the living conditions of patients with heart disease.” The goal was to raise $10,000, which was surpassed — a pleasant surprise to Robert Cressaty. Another hockey game is already in discussion for next year since the event was such a success.

Organizing a hockey game to pay tribute to a hockey player and a Foundation that provides high-end services to help people with heart diseases such as Brad’s, seemed like the right thing to do. “I think heart disease is a disease that makes no exceptions (…) My friend Brad was only 40 years old; he was very active—often running or playing hockey—when he died of a massive heart attack. Even if you’re in good shape, anything can happen. Heart disease doesn’t discriminate. I make sure I enjoy every moment of life.”