Hockey enthusiast Steve Gross is back on the ice after beating blood cancer thanks to his donor — son Jake

Steve Gross, 65, has always been a protector on the ice. A lifelong Long Island hockey player, die-hard Rangers fan and now a referee, Gross lives and breathes hockey. As a player, he would always stick up for his teammates, often getting into fights with the opposing team.

When Gross, from Syosset, developed a hernia in August 2024 from lifting his wife’s suitcase at a wedding, he didn’t think much of it besides the annoyance of having surgery.

During the pre-surgical testing in September 2024, Gross’ blood came back with problems. After visiting his primary care physician, then a hematology oncologist, then the R.J. Zuckerberg Cancer Center, Northwell Health’s flagship ambulatory cancer facility, Gross got his diagnosis: acute myelogenous leukemia.

"It’s one of the most common blood cancers we see in those around Steve’s age," said Dr. Ahmad Samer Al-Homsi, Northwell Cancer Institute’s chief of blood and marrow transplant and cellular therapy. "It’s a cancer of the blood and marrow."

Gross was in search of a donor to give him the healthy bone marrow he needed to live. Who better to do it than his son Jake?

"My world got spun," Gross said. "I let the doctors take care of it, but the first thing I did when I found out was I had shirts made up. It basically says, ‘I will skate again.'"

Gross’ community rallied around him. People he'd played college hockey with 40 years ago reached out. People he'd gone to sleepaway camp with in the mid-'70s reached out.

"My whole universe came to support me in my battle," he said.

One of those people was Rangers star defenseman and Jericho native Adam Fox. Gross grew up with Fox’s dad in Queens, playing hockey together.

When the Rangers hosted their annual "Hockey Fights Cancer" night on Jan. 5, each Rangers player was given a card to write down the name of someone they were fighting for. Fox wrote, "Steve Gross."

"I had no idea he was gonna do it," Gross said. "All of a sudden that day, my phone started blowing up. I looked [at the post of Fox holding up the card] and I was speechless. I called Adam and I thanked him."

Best match

Of Steve's three children, Jake, who lives in New York City, was the best match.

"In my entire family, Jake is the one that really doesn’t like needles the most," Gross said. "So I felt bad, I really did. But I’m amazingly fortunate that somebody so close would be able to do this. He saved me. He’s a hero."

On Feb. 28, 2025, Gross received his son's bone marrow cells. In early June that year, his bone marrow biopsy showed that he was cancer-free, but his battle wasn’t over.

"I was not able to resume my normal world because my immune system had not come back," he said. "For the first several months, any food I ate had to be prepared at home. In terms of my activity level, I was in the house, so I have a Peloton downstairs and I would basically train here by myself. I lost a lot of weight while I was in the hospital. I’m 25 pounds lighter now than when I went in."

Gross was given the OK to get back on the ice by himself in November 2025. In late January, Jake became the father of a baby girl, making Steve a grandfather. Ten days later, Gross made an emotional return to Beaver Dam Ice Rink in Locust Valley, refereeing once again.

"It was an outdoor rink. It was 5 degrees and the wind chill was minus 13. It didn’t matter," he said. "I was there, and I haven’t stopped smiling since."

On Sunday, Gross will mark his first Father's Day as a grandfather. June is also National Cancer Survivors Month, and Gross joins more than 18 million cancer survivors in the United States celebrating survivorship, resilience and hope for the future.