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Princeton University Athletics
Players Mentioned
Men's Basketball Adopts Friends of Jaclyn Child
April 09, 2010 | Men's Basketball
PRINCETON -- Christian Regulski was the man of the hour for the Princeton men's basketball team Wednesday afternoon when the Tigers hosted the Robbinsville, N.J. youngster in the Rogers Team Room for an "adoption" party.
Regulski, called "Crunch," is a part of the Friends of Jaclyn organization, which pairs children dealing with pediatric brain tumors with local high school or college sports teams. The teams provide a support group as the children and their families manage the challenges of recovery.
During the season, Regulski experienced several practices and two games on the Tiger bench, both big wins over Harvard and Duquesne.
The adopted Tiger has left quite an impression on the members of the men's basketball team, who share their thoughts:
"I feel like the team gets a sense of fulfillment from knowing that we are helping lift a boy and his family's spirits and give them a distraction from their struggles. Having Crunch around is a constant reminder to us about how blessed we are." - Patrick Saunders
"Crunch is the toughest kid that I've met. I've realized this through my interactions with him and his family. Crunch has a role on our team as not only a teammate, but as an inspiration to all. We won't let him down, and we know he won't let us down. We are extremely glad and very lucky that Crunch wanted to be a Princeton Tiger. It is rare to have someone that we can always look up to that embodies strength, especially when he's not even five feet tall!" - Kareem Maddox
"Crunch is an amazing kid filled with courage who gives us inspiration on and off the court. He's great to be around whether it's on the
bench during a game or playing video games, which he dominates. As much as we are there to support him, he has embraced the team and become our biggest fan." - John Comfort
"I think it's clear that we've made an impact on Crunch, giving him positive role models to look up to. It's just as clear that he's had an impact on us. The time we spend with him and talking with him shows us his courage and I think also brings us closer as a team." - Bobby Foley
"I spoke to Dennis Murphy, Jaclyn's father, on the phone the other day. He spent all of his time thanking me and our basketball program for being a special part of Christian's life. I appreciated Mr. Murphy's compliments but I was stunned nonetheless. In my view, it is the Murphy family and the Friends of Jaclyn Foundation that deserves the thank-you. They brought our basketball team and the Regulski family together. They made this happen. Crunch, our players, trainer and our coaches are the benefactors. It makes me emotional just thinking how fortunate we all are." - Sydney Johnson
On the Friends of Jaclyn:
The Friends of Jaclyn Foundation (FOJ) is a 501(c)(3), non-profit, charitable organization that improves the quality of life for children with pediatric brain tumors and their families formed in 2005.
FOJ matches a child in need of love, support and friendship with a college or high school sports team based on geographic basis. Through a due diligence process, the foundation screens for the best match based on the child and family's needs and the team, coach and athletic director's commitment to our foundation's goals.
The Foundation was inspired by Jaclyn Murphy, who was diagnosed with a medulloblastoma, a malignant brain tumor, in March 2004 when she was nine-years-old. Jaclyn's strength and courage, relentless spirit, and joy for life are an inspiration to those who know her. Jaclyn's wish is "for all the children in the hospitals to be healed."
For more information or to suggest a team or child for the FOJ network, please visit the Friends of Jaclyn website at http://www.friendsofjaclyn.org/.