ROCHESTER, NY – On Saturday, Feb. 7, the RIT men’s and women’s hockey teams will be honoring fifth-year student manager Joe Vicario, better known as “Part Time Joe”. Both teams will wear special jerseys that will be auctioned off during the game with proceeds going to the Testicular Cancer Foundation of Western New York, which Vicario founded. Visit http://www.tcafofwny.org/ for more information.
Vicario, who suffers from Goldenhar Syndrome and is a testicular cancer survivor, is imploring men to “Check Your Pucks” which will also be the theme on Feb. 7. Both RIT hockey teams, in addition to ZETA Tau Alpha sorority, Rochester General Hospital, and the RIT United Way Foundation will be a part of this unforgettable evening.
Fans will be able to bid on the jerseys via silent auction in the arena and through social media monitored by members of ZETA Tau Alpha. Bidding will end at the start of the third period of the men’s game. RIT’s women host Mercyhurst that afternoon at 3:05 p.m., while the men host Niagara at 7:05 p.m. at the brand new Gene Polisseni Center.
Vicario—affectionately known as “Part-time Joe”—is a applied computer technology student in RIT’s National Technical Institute for the Deaf. For the past four hockey seasons, Vicario has helped in all aspects of the men’s and women’s programs, from hanging uniforms to cleaning locker rooms to coordinating pre-game meals.
At 22, Vicario, a Buffalo native, is a model of perseverance, having overcome 31 different surgeries, including 28 surgeries before he was 12. Since coming to RIT, he has had to take three leaves of absence, including in early 2013, was diagnosed with stage 1B testicular cancer, and has undergone emergency surgery to repair several displaced organs.
At birth, Vicario was diagnosed with Goldenhar Syndrome, a rare congenital defect characterized by incomplete development of the ear, nose, palate and lip; abnormalities in the formation of the face and head; and underdeveloped or absent organs. He was born without a left ear, left lung and left thumb and his aortic heart valve is bicuspid instead of the normal tricuspid, which occurs in less than 2 percent of people. All of the vertebrae on his left side are fused with his neck, meaning he can never engage in contact sports, and his left arm is shorter than his right.
Vicario is an inspiration to many at RIT and in Western New York. His positive attitude is a trait to be admired.
