Agent of Rodion Amirov shares heartbreaking details of his illness

Less than two years after being diagnosed with a brain tumor, Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Rodion Amirov tragically lost his life at the young age of 21 earlier this week. 

“Over the duration of his courageous battle, Rodion’s positively inspired everyone around him and made lasting impressions with our team and fans in his brief visits to Toronto,” team president Brendan Shanahan said, according to the Associated Press. “It’s incredibly sad to see a young man with so much promise taken from us so soon.”

And now, Amirov's agent Dan Milstein is sharing some heartbreaking updates on Amirov's condition as it worsened; though the positive part of the updates is the tremendous bravery and good-natured outlook that Amirov demonstrated despite the debilitating illness. 

"The worsening of the disease happened in October 2022. At that time, doctors in Toronto gave Rodion only six months. It was a fourth-degree cancer - a brain tumor.

He returned to Russia, where doctors in Skolkovo fought for his life for another 10 months. But two weeks ago, they were powerless. Then they came to the decision to take Rodion to Germany, where there was a last, ghostly chance for treatment. And now he was gone...

But the boy fought on. For a year and a half, since February 2022, no matter how bad it was for him, when he could not walk and lost his sight, he never complained about anything.

He came to Toronto in October, not just to get treatment, but to train. He really wanted to get back into hockey. As I remember, I got a call from Toronto general manager Kyle Dubas along with Canadian doctors at 1:18 a.m.: 'Come get the boy, accompany him to his home country. If you don't get him now, he may never come home again.' It got very serious.....

We drove from the airport to my place in Miami to pack. We spent two days at the beach so the guy could unwind. I asked him, 'Rodion, how are you?' - 'I'm fine, more worried about my parents.'

He only thought of others. He didn't whine, he fought. And he tried to face each day with a positive attitude, with a smile. Although he lost his eyesight about six months ago and couldn't walk." 

An incredibly selfless attitude from a great young player who had a bright future in the NHL gone from us far too soon. 

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