POTSDAM, N.Y.—The SUNY Potsdam Athletic Department is pulling together for assistant athletic trainer Alex Berking as she begins her fight with brain cancer.
 
Approximately a month ago, after suffering from headaches and vision problems, Berking went to Canton-Potsdam Hospital and learned she had large mass on the right side of her brain. After being transported to UVM Medical Center in Burlington, Vt., the mass was determined to be a malignant brain tumor. Neurologists decided to act immediately to reduce the risks of seizures and other complications. The surgeons successfully removed 90-percent of the mass and have prescribed chemo and radiation therapy for the next 11 months. She will undergo the radiation therapy at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston before returning to Potsdam for chemo treatments.
 
Unfortunately, cancer is nothing new to Berking and her family. Her father Christopher lost his battle to the disease in June 2016. Berking's sister Meghan ran across the country this summer in his honor and as part of an effort by the Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults to raise awareness for the fight against cancer.
 
Like the many Bears athletes and teams she has worked with, Berking is tough and Potsdam intends to help her fight. For the rest of the 2017-18 season, all gate receipts at Bears contests will be given to Alex. Starting this weekend, all chuckApuck money raised at hockey games will also go to support her. For the rest of the season, there will be a donation box outside of each game where fans can give. Anyone looking to support Alex can also go to a gofundme account created in her name to help her with expenses as she continues her fight. Click here to donate: https://www.gofundme.com/alex-berking
 
Her Bears and the rest of the athletic department look forward to having Alex back and healthy as soon as she is able.