From the early age of 2 years old, Sullivan Plancon has found himself surrounded by the sport of hockey – specifically by the Blue Jackets organization. 

At just 6 months old, he was diagnosed with a Wilms Tumor, a rare type of kidney cancer that usually affects children. Another year and a half after the first diagnosis, doctors found that it had spread and developed into secondary lung cancer.

“You never want to hear that your kid has cancer, let alone once but twice,” Plancon said. 

Fortunately for Plancon and his family, support from the community was plentiful. Sullivan was honored as a Columbus Blue Jacket childhood cancer hero, where he got the chance to meet the players like Jody Shelley and bond with members of the organization.

“Most of the memories I have are from looking back at photos of me,” Plancon said. “Just a bald-headed kid with my dad out there skating with the pros, but I know it had a lasting impact on everyone else, especially my parents.”

Columbus hockey remained constant for the Plancon family throughout Sullivan’s life, and he began playing hockey around age 5 after his health was restored. Even though doctors were not initially fond of the idea of contact sports, Plancon’s mind was made up, with both his father and cousins being involved in hockey.

He developed through Blue Jackets programs and even made his way up to the AAA Blue Jackets teams. He additionally returned to play his senior year at Olentangy Liberty High School, where he not only helped lead the team to a district final but also earned second-team All-Ohio honors, and has skated with Ohio State’s club team. 

From there, he decided to hang up the skates in a competitive setting, but the now 20-year-old knew he wanted to find other ways to be involved. He’s currently working with both the Blue Jackets’ Learn to Play and Blue Jackets Hockey League programs, helping kids learn the sport he loves.

“I hit the end of the road and had to make the hard decision to call it, but I can’t stay away from it,” Plancon said. “I love the sport to keep me healthy and active and build new connections with people.”

Like many other hockey players, the passion turned from playing to coaching. And with a background such as his, there is so much added value in what he has to teach.

“He really connects with the kids,” said Dave Caruso, senior director of amateur hockey programming for the Blue Jackets. “He is definitely someone all of the kids look up to and also does an amazing job with helping coach the other adults and communicate with them.”

The Learn to Play program, presented by Performance Columbus in association with Moo Moo Express Car Wash and Columbia Gas, is a three-step program that introduces boys and girls aged 4 to 10 years old to the basics of hockey, from skating to skills. The Blue Jackets Hockey League, meanwhile, is for kids ages 5 to 14 who have graduated from Learn to Play and want to keep playing the game in a fun and engaging environment.

Given how these programs serve as the first hockey experiences for many kids in Central Ohio, Plancon feels like he’s the perfect age to help the youngsters he’s working with.

“I love giving what I know to these kids,” Plancon said. “There’s a lot of coaches who are 40 and 50 when these kids are like 10, so having a 20-year-old out there hopefully helps them relate a little more to me where they open up more and they are prone to talking.”

The chance to give back to a community that once supported him at his worst is a driving factor in the hours he puts in for the programs. Plus, seeing his life after hockey allows him to share the insights that not many other 20-year-olds can grasp.

“I just want kids to know that life isn’t just about hockey,” he said. “Obviously when you’re a kid you want to play in the NHL and everything, but you have to come to the realization that balance is a super important thing where if you want to go far, you have to have others things in life that you enjoy doing, too, just so you don’t get burnt out on one thing.”

The full circle moment for one of the first CBJ cancer heroes is something he says he will cherish forever. The support the Blue Jackets organization and other NHL teams provide for families like the Plancons is extremely valuable and something he hopes remains.

“Those kids are fighting some things that you will never be able to wrap your head around. You don’t even know if they are gonna make it to the next day,” Plancon said. “So for them to be able to see these pros and people they look up to and hopefully strive to be one day, supporting something they are going through, it means the world to them.”