Charity hockey game hits home for Lisle cop

Lisle police officer Chris Loudon fights bad guys on the street every night.

He fights off pucks as a goalie in the annual Guns 'n' Hoses police-vs.-firefighters charity hockey games.

But the biggest fight of his life has been alongside his wife Tracy, 44, as she has survived two surgeries for tennis ball-sized brain tumors.

"(Before her last surgery) you should have seen my wife say goodbye to my 1-month-old daughter," said Loudon, 49. "When she was saying goodbye, she was saying goodbye (forever)."

At this year's annual charity hockey event that pits suburban cops against firefighters, proceeds will benefit the American Brain Tumor Association. Roughly 90 players will take the ice throughout this afternoon at Rosemont's Allstate Arena, 6920 N. Mannheim Road, in three games leading up to a Chicago Wolves contest.

The charity event originated shortly after Sept. 11, 2001, when the teams raised $9,000 and donated the proceeds to the families of 17 firefighters killed from the same New York City firehouse.

Every year since, they've picked a new charity and raised more and more money. Last year, they raised $20,000.

This year, they pre-sold more than 1,500 tickets. At $17 each, $5 goes back to the charity.

In addition, they'll have a raffle and silent auction of donated items such as autographed jerseys, gift cards and other hockey gear.

Loudon and two other police officers out of 16 members of his team have had loved ones with brain tumors.

Other forms of cancer, such as breast cancer, get a lot more attention, but brain tumors are fairly prevalent, he said.

"This obviously hits us right in our hearts, this one," Loudon said.

For Loudon's wife, Tracy, it meant two life-threatening surgeries to remove two large tumors from near her brainstem. The surgeries caused her to lose vision in one eye, hearing in one ear and sensation on one side of her body. She has since relearned nearly everything - twice.

"She's such a tough woman," Loudon said. "She's a perfect example of a survivor of something that is catastrophic."

This year's charity games are for all the times Tracy wondered what Loudon loves more: her or hockey.

"It's close, but I actually do love her more," Loudon said. "But how do you beat playing the game that you love? We're happy to do it and it gives us a chance to skate on a really nice sheet of ice."

If you go

What: Guns 'n' Hoses charity hockey games

When: Noon today, March 21

Where: Allstate Arena, 6920 N. Mannheim Road, Rosemont

Tickets: $17, of which $5 goes to the charity

Info: To make donations, visit www.abta.org