When Thomas Pedicini was afflicted with non-Hodgkin lymphoma in 2003, his family's lives changed forever. When the 21-year-old became cancer-free a year later, Thomas and his brother Anthony decided they wanted to help fight the disease any way they could.
Coinciding with the Pedicinis' hometown Tampa Bay Lightning's second straight trip to the Eastern Conference Final, the brothers are again raising money for cancer via the NHL's Beard-A-Thon initiative.
The initiative pushes fans of Stanley Cup Playoff teams to grow beards and raise money for noteworthy causes each spring. The Pedicinis are raising money for the Tampa-based National Pediatric Cancer Foundation, and on his Beard-A-Thon page, Anthony said he is doing so "in honor of my brother and his victory against cancer.