{"id":1050570,"date":"2026-09-08T09:14:22","date_gmt":"2026-09-08T09:14:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/1050570\/"},"modified":"2026-09-08T09:14:22","modified_gmt":"2026-09-08T09:14:22","slug":"nhl-prospect-reveals-girlfriends-heartbreaking-stage-4-cancer-diagnosis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/1050570\/","title":{"rendered":"NHL prospect reveals girlfriend’s heartbreaking stage 4 cancer diagnosis"},"content":{"rendered":"

NHL prospect Austin Roest took to social media to share a heart-wrenching message to his girlfriend, former figure skater Milara Okabe, amid her stage 4 cancer diagnosis.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Nashville Predators\u2019 2023 sixth-round draft pick described Okabe as the \u201cstrongest person\u201d he knows and predicted she would overcome her health troubles in the emotional post last week on his Instagram page.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cMilly, I don\u2019t even know what to say. I am so sorry this is happening to you,\u201d he wrote under a photo of him with Okabe in her hospital bed. \u201cNo one deserves to go through this. That being said, I have no doubt in my mind you will beat cancer. You are the strongest person I know and I know you will overcome everything that comes your way over the next year. I love you so much and I will be right there with you through all of this.\u201d<\/p>\n

As part of the message, he also directed his followers to a GoFundMe page to support Okabe and her family during her battle with cancer.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Okabe had recently been diagnosed with stage 4 adenocarcinoma, which is a cancer that lives in organ glands, according to the GoFundMe page<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The page was set up by Kristin LeDuc, a friend of Okabe, and said any funds raised would go toward her treatment.\u00a0<\/p>\n

As of Monday night, the page raised more than 76,000 Canadian dollars, just shy of the CA$80,000 goal.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"MilariaMilaria Okabe is pictured. gofundme<\/p>\n

\"NHLNHL prospect Austin Roest and his girlfriend, figure skater Milaria Okabe, cuddle in her hospital bed in a photo shared on Thursday, Sept. 3. Roest is asking for support after Okabe was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. Instagram\/@austinroest<\/p>\n

\u201cMilara is so much more than her diagnosis. She is a kind, strong and selfless person who means so much to everyone around her,\u201d the GoFundMe read. \u201cSkating has always been a huge part of Milara\u2019s life. After spending years as a high-level skater herself, she now loves being able to share that passion by teaching kids how to skate. Outside of the rink, she is constantly with the people she loves the most \u2013 her friends and family, as well as simply having the most fun in everything she does.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs Milara goes through treatment, her family is doing everything possible to remain by her side. Along with the emotional weight of her diagnosis, she is now facing time away from work, travel and accommodation costs, medications, fertility preservation, and many other unexpected expenses.\u201d<\/p>\n

Okabe also revealed her own diagnosis in a post on her social media page<\/a>, in which she said she was \u201cextremely lucky in this life to have friends that are family, and a family that loves me this hard.\u201d<\/p>\n

The couple began dating in June 2023, according to social media posts.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Roest has not appeared in an NHL contest since he was drafted and split last season between the Preds\u2019 minor league affiliates, the Milwaukee Admirals in the AHL and the ECHL\u2019s Atlanta Gladiators.<\/p>\n

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