Gordie Howe has made such a dramatic recovery after having stem cell therapy in December in Tijuana, Mexico, that hes heading to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, this weekend for a dementia fundraiser involving Wayne Gretzky.

The Kinsmen Arena there will be renamed the Gordie Howe Kinsman Arena.

Murray Howe raced from Toledo, Ohio, to Lubbock, Texas, in late October, unsure whether his father, who had suffered a massive stroke, would still be alive when he got there. The Detroit Red Wings hockey legend was being cared for by his daughter, Cathy, and family members were advised to get there quickly if they wanted to see him again.

Murray Howe told the Free Press in a telephone interview Tuesday he was heading back to Lubbock today to help accompany his father, along with other family members, to Saskatoon for the public appearance.

Gordie Howes younger brother, Vic, who played for the New York Rangers, died Saturday at age 85 in Moncton, New Brunswick. Murray Howe said Gordie would not be able to attend his brothers funeral, but would be with two sisters, Helen and Vi, while in Saskatoon, and the family would gather there for a memorial service for their brother.

Although the event in Saskatoon had been planned for more than a year, the Howe family told organizers in August that Gordie probably wouldnt be able to attend because of declining health. They definitely didnt think hed be able to attend following a series of strokes that he had in the months that followed.

But Howe has made a drastic recovery, to the point that family members told the organizers if theres an extra chair for him, he thinks he can make it.

Murray Howe said he was very skeptical when representatives from Stemedica reached out a following the news of Gordie Howes massive stroke.

Stem cells werent even on my radar, Murray Howe said, who did a bunch of research before his father agreed to pursue the therapy.

Stemedica has a stem cell trial in the U.S., but patients have to wait six months following their stroke before they can begin to the therapy. The stem cell trial by Novastem at Clinica Santa Clarita in Mexico did not require a six-month wait.

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Howe to Assist Dementia Fundraiser