MONTREAL – When Jeb Brovsky visited cancer-stricken Marco Tavone as he was undergoing treatment, he was amazed by the support the young man’s friends and family were giving him. So when he got a text message, the day before last week’s Amway Canadian Championship final first leg, that Marco had passed away, Brovsky didn’t hesitate.
“I said this game, this final, would be for him,” Brovsky told reporters on Tuesday morning.
Brovsky was almost unable to complete it after he broke his now famous nose. His nasal passages were bent at a right angle. He got eight shots through his mouth and gum as well as up his nose. He got his nose re-broken by the team doctor, and then by a plastic surgeon, in order to then put the bones back in with a steel bar – “Poor doctor thought I was going to punch him after he did it,” Brovsky said.
Yet he was indeed able to last until the final whistle, and throughout the reconstruction process – which included concussion tests he passed with flying colors –, Brovsky and his wife Caitlin kept thinking about Marco Tavone.
“His friends and family are just absolutely amazing,” Brovsky said. “When I got to the hospital, I looked to [my wife] Caitlin and I said: ‘You know, this is nothing compared to what Marco and his friends and family went through.’
“You have to keep perspective, even though some people are worried about you. It was a very sad day, especially for his friends and family. I hope they’re healing this week and that they find some solace in the next couple of weeks.”
And Brovsky certainly hopes he can provide a bit of relief through soccer: he intends to play again when the Philadelphia Union come to town this Saturday.
