"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." - Milstein on Amirov's worsening state