Former New York Rangers star forward Ron Duguay was hospitalized after being found unconscious at his home last week, his daughter Shay Thomas announced.
“On Friday, He fainted at home, was unconscious, injured a few parts of his face, and knocked out a few teeth in the fall…this time, it wasn’t from hockey,” Thomas shared via Instagram on Monday. “He was taken by ambulance to the hospital.”
Thomas said doctors found him “extremely dehydrated and had been struggling to eat because of how sick he had been feeling. They also discovered varices, portal hypertensive gastropathy, internal bleeding, and an ulcer.”
Duguay, 69, announced in February that he had been diagnosed with Stage 4 colon cancer last year, and has since lost his appendix and gallbladder.
“Because of the cancer in his liver, along with everything his liver has endured from surgery, chemotherapy, and the pump, pressure has built up inside the liver. That pressure can back up into the stomach and cause bleeding. The ulcer still needs further evaluation, but the bleeding and liver pressure are the major concerns right now.”
He appeared to be taking a light-hearted approach to his health on Monday by flashing a photo to his Instagram, minus a few teeth.
“Found my teeth on the bedroom floor,” he wrote, accompanied by a picture of the teeth.
Duguay’s family started a GoFundMe to help with medical costs. It had raised more than $160,000 as of Tuesday morning.
Thomas, in an update posted on the fundraising site, said her father was still being monitored in the hospital and receiving blood transfusions as of Monday.
He spent parts of eight of his 12 NHL seasons with the Rangers after being selected by the team with the No. 13 overall pick in the 1977 NHL Draft. He totaled 620 points (274 goals, 346 assists) in 864 career games with the Rangers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Detroit Red Wings and Los Angeles Kings from 1977-89.
