A Nashville Predators prospect revealed his girlfriend's cancer diagnosis over the weekend, sparking an outpouring of support from the NHL community.
"I am so sorry this is happening to you. No one deserves to go through this," said Austin Roest in a Sept. 4 Instagram post about his girlfriend Milly Okabe.
Roest, a sixth-round pick by Nashville in 2023, also linked to a GoFundMe page to support Okabe through her battle with cancer. The 22-year-old has been diagnosed with Stage 4 adenocarcinoma, according to the GoFundMe post.
"I love you so much and I will be right there with you through all of this," Roest said.
As of Sept. 8, the GoFundMe has raised over $84,000 Canadian dollars, including a donation by Anaheim Ducks goaltender Lukas Dostal. The
Instagram post has over 7,000 likes and comments, including by the Predators' official account, current defense prospect Andrew Gibson, and former Predators forward Fedor Svechkov.
After being drafted in 2023, Roest turned pro in 2024, signing a three-year, entry-level deal with Nashville at age 20. Last season he played 41 games with the AHL Milwaukee Admirals and five games with the ECHL Atlanta Gladiators.
Roest is expected to report to Predators' training camp, which opens at Ford Ice Center Bellevue on Sept. 16.
Alex Daugherty is the Predators beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Alex at jdaugherty@gannett.com, follow him on X at@alexdaugherty1 or check out our Predators exclusive Instagram page @tennessean_preds.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Nashville Predators prospect Austin Roest reveals girlfriend's cancer diagnosis
