10-year-old cancer survivor becomes honorary member of the New York Rangers

Ten-year-old Sonya Luvis never imagined she’d get a chance to ice skate with hockey legends — she’s just happy to be alive.

The young cancer survivor was celebrated for her inspiring fighting spirit on Tuesday when she was presented with an honorary jersey from the New York Rangers at the local Ronald McDonald House’s 30th annualSkate With the Greatsevent.

But it wasn’t always smooth skating.

She was 7 years old and had the biggest tumor of its type that doctors at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia had ever treated.

But the first piece of heartbreaking news that Sonya remembers is realizing she would have to shave her long curly locks when she started her first round of chemotherapy.

It was her first haircut ever.

“I was really, really devastated,” Sonya told The Post. “I was like, ‘Mom, I don’t want my hair to fall out. Will it grow tomorrow?’ But I just accepted it with patience and I said to myself, ‘This is going to take a long time so I should just wait it out until time’s ready.’”

As her hair slowly grew back, Sonya decided to have fun with it by dyeing her hair crazy colors going from neon pink to bright blue. But in May 2023, doctors shared more distressing news — her cancer had returned.

The doctors in Philadelphia told her parents they’d done all they could for Sonya, but the Luvis family was determined to save their daughter.

And if you missed it, the New York Post also featured Sonya and family and Skate with the Greats in a FULL-PAGE article on Thursday April 5th that was out on newsstands all over NYC. If you didn’t happen to pick up the Post Thursday, here is a look at the awesome article.