Farmington youth hockey player back on ice after battling cancer thanks to family, doctors

Ben Dapper, 10, is back playing hockey once again with his buddies in the Farmington Youth Hockey Association.

It’s a moment that has been years in the making — as Ben has battled cancer twice.

“We take every day as a gift,” said Nathan Dapper, Ben’s dad. “Every time he’s out on the ice, I think what a miracle, what a miracle; cancer hasn’t limited his opportunity.”

At age three, Ben was first diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, a type of cancer that affects the white blood cells.

After treatment, Ben went into remission.

But then, the cancer came back.

“Lots of ups and downs, there are good days, you celebrate those, and there were bad days, you just hold him,” said Brigitte Dapper, Ben’s mom, of their cancer journey.

Doctors felt Ben needed a more aggressive treatment — a bone marrow transplant.

“Ben’s a really strong kid, really strong,” said Dr. Christen Ebens, who specializes in pediatric blood and marrow transplant and cellular therapy at M Health Fairview Masonic Children’s Hospital. “He’s just kind of rolled with it… something comes up… ‘What do I have to do.’”

Ben underwent a bone marrow transplant at the hospital in Minneapolis, with Dr. Ebens overseeing his care. The donor was his older brother Isaac.

Months later, to help strengthen the transplant’s effect, a second procedure was done using big brother’s white blood cells to help Ben again.

Dr. Ebens now feels Ben’s leukemia has been resolved. “We’re really confident he was going to stay in remission.”

Hearing Ben has been able to get back on the ice brings Dr. Ebens joy.

“It’s really wonderful seeing him do his thing,” Ebens said.

“Going hard every shift, just like being on the ice,” Ben said.

The 10-year-old has a message for those facing obstacles.

“Just keep going; if it looks cloudy, there’s going to be light at the end,” Ben said.

Ben’s mother, Brigitte, shared with him during our interview how his positivity has touched others on his team.

“They know what you’ve gone through, so if it gets hard for them, you might not see it, but I hear from parents, their kids know what you’ve gone through,” Brigitte said to Ben. “They look at you for that positivity going forward, and if Ben can be positive, we can be positive too.”