Ex NHL Star Ron Duguay Posts Update After Revealing Cancer Diagnosis

Former NHL player Ron Duguay gave fans an update on his health journey after revealing that he was diagnosed with stage IV colon cancer.

Duguay, 68, detailed part of his “advanced” treatment plan in a video via his Instagram Story on Sunday, March 1.

“Most of you know the benefits of Vitamin C. Most people can take a gram a day, maybe two,” said Duguay, showing his arm attached to an IV in the doctor’s office.

He continued, “I’m doing about 75 grams. I’ve been doing 50. My body has been putting up with it. So now I’m going up and up to 75. I’m going to get to the end of this. I’m strong. Build my immune system to get out. I want to see the finish line! Let’s go!”

Duguay was diagnosed with prostate cancer in December 2024, but kept it a secret until ongoing financial burdens led to his family launching a GoFundMe last week.

Shay ThomasDuguay’s daughter, specifically told Us Weekly that convincing his father to ask for help “was a struggle for many months.”

“His credit card debt was growing, and that’s when I told him, ‘Dad, let me do this, I’m not going to put your name on it.

He added, “We talked as a family and said, ‘We need to do this GoFundMe. We have to do everything we can. Because if we don’t, it’s going to kill you.'”

Thomas said his father had “nothing left” when the family began fundraising, which had raised more than $112,000 at the time of publication.

“He doesn’t like to ask for help, even if I have to ask him about his finances,” said Thomas. “I can see when he is depressed, I know he couldn’t work, he was able to work comfortably before he got sick and he was able to feed himself, he was healthy but when he got sick he couldn’t walk, he couldn’t eat, it was very bad, he couldn’t work anymore.

Thomas also responded to some of the backlash the GoFundMe has faced, with some critics questioning how Duguay, who played 12 seasons in the NHL, ran out of money.

“I see a lot of things where people are like, ‘You have millions of dollars from a long time ago,’ I’m like, ‘What are we talking about?'” she said.

Thomas added, “I don’t understand some of these people who have these crazy ideas. Most people don’t do it unless they have to. Who wants to have a disease when you’re struggling financially? You’re desperate, in a sense, and that’s where we are.”

Duguay’s daughter was thrilled with the help of the former governor of Alaska Sarah Palinwho has been in love with her father for years.

“She was incredibly supportive and helpful throughout my father’s journey,” Thomas told us. “Obviously their relationship can be challenging because they live far away. He’s in Alaska, he’s in Florida. But they’ve always been close.”

Thomas continued, “If we ever needed him for something, he would take red eyes immediately. If we had things with our children but we couldn’t do it – for example, my father had surgery where they entered the intestines and liver – and he stayed with him in the hospital for five days. He was a great source of support. Not only for my father, but for our whole family.”