A Chicago cancer survivor who realized life is too short ventured to see a match-up at all 124 major stadiums and arenas in North America — and set his final stop as an Islanders hockey game over the weekend.
Then he discovered something else extraordinarily special about the date.
Ashvin Lad,. 51, told The Post he picked Saturday’s afternoon showdown between the Long Island team and the St. Louis Blues because he liked the date of 11/22 as a “numbers nerd” — only to later learn the Islanders were celebrating a Hockey Fights Cancer event at it.
“It brings that whole post-cancer journey full circle,” said Lad, who sat with a handful of “Club 124” members at the game to celebrate his conquest.
It had been a long road for the testicular cancer survivor.
“Before Dec. 31, 1999, I just had my most recent round of chemo, so I was not feeling well, I couldn’t do any celebrations — and I’m watching the entire world celebrate the new millennium,” Lad recently recalled to The Post.
“I said to myself at that moment, ‘When this is done, I’m going to go out there and see as much of the world as I can, meet as many people as I can, and take in as many experiences I can.’ “
Now he’s done that — and more, becoming only the 27th recorded “Club 124” sports diehard to see each of the US’s and Canada’s baseball, hockey, basketball, and football arenas.
Lad had visited just four of the 124 sports spots before winning his bout with cancer — thanks to the same oncologist who treated Lance Armstrong — in February 2000.
Lad, who works on partnerships for the American Medical Association, hit the ground running that year by traveling to St. Louis to watch the NFL’s LA Rams, to Indianapolis to see the NBA’s Pacers and to Nashville to watch the NHL’s Predators.
“Whenever I travel for work and there’s a game going on. I would just go to a game. If I were traveling for vacation, and a game was going on, I’d go,” Lad said of his leisurely starting pace.
He only learned of “Club 124” — an organized group where members keep track of their stadium visits — in the 2010s after meeting a fellow journeyman in the Windy City.
“I said, I can’t believe this is a real thing. I’m really going to go do this, make a concerted effort and start planning,’ ” Lad said.
The cancer survivor said he had relative “flexibility” without a wife or children — plus a handy lifetime $100,000 — to tour the sports world.
Down in front!
Lad said he enjoyed his share of memorable sports moments over the years, such as Super Bowl XLVII in New Orleans in 2013 and Yankee Aaron Judge’s first-ever home run in 2016.
Later that year, Lad saw the Chicago Cubs’ three home World Series games at Wrigley Field, where he is a season ticket-holder with a beloved reputation for helping kids with their homework at the ballpark.
He reached around 74 stadiums — sitting in a variety of seats from field level to the rafters — in the 2020s, then really poured it on into the home stretch.
“September of 2022, I did a Thursday night football game — Chargers vs. Chiefs in Kansas City. I flew home Friday morning, went to work. and then I flew to Pittsburgh on Saturday, went to the Steelers game on Sunday, and then went to Buffalo for a Monday night Bills game,” Lad said.
“Then I flew home first thing Tuesday morning to go to work.”
Lad’s planning paid off, as he became an expert at “doubling up,” often catching baseball, basketball and hockey on the same day or within 24 hours of each other.
“I even did an Eagles game in Philadelphia at one o’clock and then drove to Baltimore for a Sunday night Ravens vs. Patriots game,” he said.
Lad said he feels he accomplished something great now.
“I wanted to have a better life than I did. I was very stressed out always. … Now I’ve done that,” he said.
Lad’s must-stop stadiums
- Sofi Stadium, Los Angeles
- UBS Arena, Long Island
- PNC Park, Pittsburgh
- Wrigley Field, Chicago
- Bell Centre, Montreal
- Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles
- Little Caesars Arena, Detroit
- Intuit Dome, Los Angeles
- Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas
- PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh
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