Stranger Sent Him A Note At A Hockey Game And It Ended Up Saving His Life
January 06, 2022

When a stranger at a hockey game spotted a mole on the back of the neck of Red Hamilton, she passed a note urging him to see a doctor. And thank God he listened!
Brian “Red” Hamilton works as the Assistant Equipment Manager for the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League. And one night, as Red was doing his job during a game, God put the right person in his path to deliver a very important message!
Hockey Fan Calls Out Mole On Back Of Neck
Nadia Popovici sat in the stands watching her favorite NHL team, the Seattle Kraken, play their first home game in Seattle, Washington, against the Canucks. Her seat gave her a perfect view of the back of the Canucks bench. And even though most of the attention is on the hockey players during a game, something about Red Hamilton jumped out at Nadia.
RELATED: Viewer Spots Lump on Neck of NBC News Reporter Victoria Price And Sends an Urgent Email
Nadia is preparing to go to medical school next year. And as a result, the 22-year-old has done a lot of volunteer work in hospitals. So, as Red bustled about moving equipment, Nadia noticed what many others would have likely overlooked -- a mole on the back of Red's neck.
Nadia recognized some signs indicating this mole could possibly be cancerous. And even though Red Hamilton was a complete stranger, she felt compelled to alert him to this possible danger.
"It can't hurt just to say something," she thought to herself.
But how? It wasn't like Nadia could just walk up to Red in the player's area or yell to him through all the noise of the game. So, the quick-thinking hockey fan came up with a clever idea.
Life-Saving Note From A Stranger
Nadia opened the Notes app on her phone and hastily typed in a message for Red. She banged on the sheet of plexiglass separating her from Red and held up her phone so he could see her note. It read:
"The mole on the back of your neck is possibly cancerous. Please go see a doctor!"
The note initially caught Red Hamilton off guard. He simply shrugged and went back to work. But later, he had the team doctors take a look. And when they, too, thought the mole looked suspicious, Red went in for a biopsy. And it's a good thing he did!
RELATED: Woman Taken Aback As Strangers Call Out A Big Lump On Her Neck But It Ends Up Saving Her Life
It turns out the mole on the back of Red's neck was malignant melanoma. And had it gone untreated, doctors said it would have become life-threatening in a few years.
“It was only on the outer layer of my skin,” Red Hamilton said. “It hadn’t penetrated to the second layer of my skin and that’s because we caught it so early.”
The reality of what could have happened had Nadia Popovici, a complete stranger, not spoken up hit Red hard.
"I've got a wonderful family and I've got a wonderful daughter and...she [Nadia] extended my life," Red expressed as the emotions had him choking up.
Man Thanks Hero Who Spotted His Mole On The Back Of His Neck
A complete stranger saved his life. And Red Hamilton desperately wanted the chance to thank her. So, he turned to social media, sharing the incredible story and asking for help in locating his special angel.
RELATED: 22-Year-Old Gets Messages On TikTok About A Bump On His Neck And It Turns Out They’re Right
“I understand I’m a part of the story, but she needs to know she’s the story,” he said. “She’s the person that did this. She saved the life. ... She needs to know her efforts were valid and bang on.”
The post about the mole on the back of Red's neck circulated online and quickly identified Nadia Popovici as the stranger who went above and beyond. And the two of them got to meet face-to-face at another hockey game between the Kraken and Canucks.
“I got to look him in the eye and hear what happened from his perspective,” Nadia said. "So the fact that I got to see him and talk to his family members that have been really impacted by him dodging a big bullet that’s so special."
But Red Hamilton had a big surprise in store for Nadia Popovici. During one of the breaks in the game, Red honored Nadia in front of the crowd and awarded her with a $10,000 scholarship for medical school funded by the two opposing NHL teams.
Nadia could have easily let fear hold her back from trying to help Red. She could have made a thousand excuses for why she shouldn't say anything.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: Fan Spots Olympic Swimmer’s Unusual Mole And Sends An Email That May Have Saved His Life
But instead, she followed God's prompting and saved a life. What an inspiration for us all!
WATCH: Hockey Fan Spots Cancerous Mole On Back Of Neck
LISTEN: Man With Cancer Loses It When Barber Shaves His Head And Then Turns Clippers On Himself | Amazon Delivery Driver Saves Baby Left On The Side Of Road During Carjacking
h/t: KAIT 8 News
Featured Image Credit: The Chemotherapy Foundation / Vancouver Canucks
Mel is the senior writer for GodUpdates, finding, writing and sharing Christian, uplifting, and health-related stories from around the world. Mel has a passion for writing and graduated with a degree in English from Randolph-Macon College in Virginia. When she’s not researching and writing stories, Mel is very active in her church. You can usually find Mel playing board games with her husband and two young girls, giving someone a hug, or hunting down a good cup of coffee!
Today's Devotional
A Prayer to Celebrate Earth Day - Your Daily Prayer - April 22
Tom DeRosa, founder of the Creation Studies Institute in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, is a former evolutionist and atheist who came to Christ through the ministry of Dr. D. James Kennedy. He believes Christians can celebrate Earth Day by emphasizing the earth as a gift from God, specially designed to support life.
Today's Devotional
A Prayer to Celebrate Earth Day - Your Daily Prayer - April 22
Tom DeRosa, founder of the Creation Studies Institute in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, is a former evolutionist and atheist who came to Christ through the ministry of Dr. D. James Kennedy. He believes Christians can celebrate Earth Day by emphasizing the earth as a gift from God, specially designed to support life.
Past Stories
- They Dress Up As Disney Princesses to Bring Joy and Hope to Sick Children, and it's Amazing
- This Couple Parents Triplets and Foster Sons from Wheelchairs, and It’ll Leave You Inspired
- Two-Year-Old is Found By Rancher's Dog After Walking 7 Miles From Home
- Couple Reunites 15-Year-Old Blind Dog With Owners After Finding Her in the Wilderness
- He Saved Her Life in a Pool Accident Five Years Ago, Now They Are Engaged
- Actress Chrissy Metz Left Hollywood For Nashville and She Couldn't Be Happier
- Stranger Helps 81-Year-Old Waitress Who Couldn't Afford to Retire, Now Her Prayers Have Been Answered
- 49-Year-Old Melanie Barratt Becomes First Blind Woman to Swim the English Channel
- 9-Year-Old Boy Remembered By Teacher and Community After Being Swept Away By Flood Waters
- 16-Year-Old Heard a Family's Cries and Saved Them From a House Fire
- Family Grows From 4 to 8 Overnight After Welcoming Identical Quadruplet Daughters
- Little Girl With Autism Reminds Others of Snow White and Her Connection to Animals
- Candace Cameron Bure Shares Fantastic News That Former Co-star, Dave Coulier, is Cancer-Free
- Soldier is Reunited With the Dog She Served With While Deployed
- Her Grandfather Kept a Log of Every Memory He Had With Her Grandmother, and It's Precious
- This 30-Year-Old Feline Might Just Be the World's Oldest Cat
- Special Messages About Love From Kindergarten Class Displayed at Teacher's Wedding
- A Sneaky Brown Tree Snake Slithers Into An Oven in Australia, and Luckily Doesn't Get Cooked
- Florida Man Meets the Son Who Had Been Searching For Him For Almost 40 Years
- Four-Year-Old Sends Out a Message in a Bottle, Receives Reply Less Than Two Weeks Later
- Delivery Driver Saves Woman's Life After Double Checking When Something Didn't Seem Right
- Woman in Heels Stops Robbery at Convenience Store With Her Impressive Martial Arts Skills
- Man That Survived More Than 90 Days at Sea Thought About His Mother Every Single Day
- Quick Thinking 9-Year-Old Saves Choking Friend During Snack Time Emergency
- Video Store Owner Creates 'Christina's Corner' For a Long-Time Customer
- Texas Man Gets Married in the Hospital After Kidney Transplant
- A Bride to Be and Her Best Friend Have Plane to Themselves and Enjoy Every Minute of it
- Dogs Come to School to Help Comfort Young Students Affected by the Eaton Fire
- Toddler Braves the Dark to Save His Great-Grandma
- All Four of These Best Friends Now Live On the Same Street and It's Amazing
- Woman Finds the Most Precious Message Inside Her Thrift Store Purchase
- Mom is Hit By a Piece of Power Tool On Her Way to Walt Disney World
- Veteran Who Loved Burger King Honored With His Own Chair
- Toddler Using Old Phone Calls 911 For Donuts and Gets a Sweet Surprise
- Hospital Hosts Special Father-Daughter Dance for Young Girl Who Missed the One at Her School
- Carl Thomas Dean, Dolly Parton's Husband of Almost 60 Years, Passes Away at 82
- Woman Donates Her Kidney to Help Save Prom Date From 35 Years Ago
- Couple Thank and Befriend Man Who Saved Their House From a Wildfire
- After 84 Years of Marriage, This Couple Just Broke a Record, and Share Some Great Advice
- Woman Gives Birth On Plane With the Help of a Flight Attendant
- Married For 68 Years, This Husband Does This Simple Sweet Thing For His Wife Every Night
- A Couple in Their 90s Spent 73 Years Apart, Now They Are Engaged
- Woman Reunites With Toddler She Saved From Drowning Back in 1961
- Three Superhero Teens Saved Man on Railroad Tracks After Spotting Him From Their Classroom
- Father and Son Are Able to Survive Night in the Utah Wilderness After Finding a Backpack
- Top Resurrection Sunday Songs You Must Listen To This Year
- Grumpy Grey Seal Takes Over Hotel Room in the Netherlands, To Take a Nap
- His Dog Was Lost For Almost a Decade, But Now He is Back Home Again
- Rejoice with These Top Easter Songs for Worship and Praise
- After Going On a Fun Airport Journey, A Lost Stuffed Bunny Finds Its Way Back Home
Top Artists
Top Music Videos

Bill and Gloria Gaither Guy Penrod's Stirring Live Performance of 'Then Came The Morning'

Alabama Live Performance of 'Because He Lives' by Alabama

Danny Gokey Official Music Video For Uplifting ‘I Got You’ Danny Gokey

Brooke Ligertwood Brooke Ligertwood Moving 'Calvary's Enough' Live Performance

GodTube Music Anne Wilson Talks Sharing Her Faith at Secular Country Concerts
Blog
At GodTube, you’ll find daily inspirational videos to lift your spirits and encourage you in your walk with God. Popular videos include worship music from your favorite Christian artists, cute videos with adorable kids and animals, hilarious videos from Christian comedians, user-uploaded videos, and clean viral videos to brighten your day.