A new room at the R.J. Zuckerberg Cancer Center at the Northwell Health Center for Advanced Medicine in Lake Success is meant to give children a place to just be kids while a parent or caregiver undergoes cancer treatment.
Islanders defenseman Matthew Schaefer dedicated the Jennifer Schaefer Child Support Room on Monday, naming it after his mother, who died of breast cancer in 2024. The 19-year-old, who won last season’s NHL Calder Trophy as top rookie, spent his day off with family at the Nassau County hospital for the opening of the hockey-themed space.
“I know my mom is smiling down today,” Schaefer said. “This mean so much to my dad [Todd], my brother [Johnny] and especially to my mom. This room is going to be so special. It’s going to help so many families and so many kids. I know when my mom was going through cancer, we wished we could have had a room where me, my brother and my dad could go to get a breath of fresh air. I think I’m going to be there just as much as [these families] are.”
Earlier in the day, Schaefer played a game of bubble hockey in the room with 15-year-old L.J. London, whose mother, Tenika Isaacs, recently finished chemotherapy and radiation for breast cancer, which is now in remission. Isaacs, a teacher, said the room addresses a need families like hers often face.
“As a parent, an educator and someone who has now faced breast cancer, I know firsthand that when a parent receives a diagnosis, the entire family feels its impact. That is why the Jennifer Schaefer Child Support Center is so important. This space represents more than child care. It represents emotional support, compassion, connection and recognition that our children need care and reassurance throughout this journey, too.”
Schaefer gave L.J. a ladybug bracelet in honor of their mothers. He has said a ladybug landed on his leg soon after his mother’s death, and he has since treated the insect as a sign that she remains with him.
“It’s not fun when you come to hospitals,” Schaefer said. “But to have a room like this, where kids and families can go when your family [member] is getting treatment, the kids can go and just be a kid playing video games or just get a breath of fresh air and be themselves in a fun space that doesn’t feel like you’re at the hospital.”
Former Islanders forward Matt Martin and his wife, Sydney, whose family hosts Schaefer during the season, also attended the dedication. Martin pointed to how Schaefer has handled personal loss while still showing up for others.
“Just to see how he’s handled everything he’s gone through on a day-to-day basis, he chooses to use this as a platform to help other people. I know this has been something he’s been looking forward to since it was first talked about last year. It really is remarkable to see who he is as a person, not just as a hockey player, and that’s a testament to his mom and the way he was raised by his family.”
The Islanders Children’s Foundation donated $150,000 to fund the project. Schaefer’s father, Todd, grew emotional describing what the room would have meant to his family during his wife’s own treatment.
“My wife would be so pleased. That room is exactly what she would want, and I know when she was battling, we didn’t have anything like this. So to have a space like this where people can come in and kids can be kids, and it doesn’t matter how old they are, to be in her name, it couldn’t have come in a better place. It’s a beautiful space to allow kids going through this to open up and talk about it, and to just get to be kids. I know my wife is smiling and couldn’t be prouder.”
Jon Ledecky, co-owner of the Islanders, has said Schaefer may be an even better person than he is a hockey player, which Ledecky calls “saying an awful lot” given Schaefer’s Calder Trophy win.
The Islanders play the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday at UBS Arena. The team also signed defenseman Ben Hutton to a professional tryout contract.
