Former Flyer Chris Therien, a member of Crossing Broad’s Snow the Goalie podcast, announced the creation Monday of a GoFundMe for Flyers athletic trainers Jim McCrossin and Sal Raffa, both of whom have been diagnosed with rare blood diseases that they allege came from an overexposure to the carcinogen benzene, which they say they contracted over the course of two decades with the organization because their Voorhees training room is adjacent to the tunnel where ice-resurfacing machines, like Zambonis, are housed.

Therien made the announcement on a joint podcast where he, Anthony, and Russ teamed up with Zak Kindrachuk, host of My Dad Used to Play Hockey, to interview McCrossin.

McCrossin is 64, and was diagnosed with terminal myelofibrosis in the summer of 2021, given 1-3 years to live. He’s being treated with experimental therapy through the Cleveland Clinic, in which doctors have some optimism that he can manage symptoms longer, improve quality of life, and extend life expectancy. Raffa, 43. who was diagnosed with incurable thrombocytopenia, is still being treated locally.

The cost of cancer treatment is often unfathomable and in many instances goes beyond the scope of insurance coverage, leaving patients with financially crippling medical bills. The GoFundMe was created to help McCrossin, Raffa, and their families defray some of those expenses as they continue to fight their illnesses.

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