By paNOW Staff

Gordie Howe doing ‘fantastic’ ahead of Kinsmen dinner in Saskatoon

Feb 3, 2015 | 11:35 AM

Gordie Howe is busy helping with chores and playing sports with his kids ahead of Friday’s Kinsmen Sports Celebrity Dinner in Saskatoon.

His youngest son, Murray Howe, spoke with NHL.com about his father’s incredible recovery since his stem cell treatment in Mexico on Dec. 8.

“He’s just been doing fantastic. He’s gained about 20 pounds, maybe even a couple more than that even now. He’s tooling around, you know, do the dishes, sweep or do whatever needs to be done,” Murray said.

“We’ll toss a football around or kick a soccer ball or play a little bit of hockey with him. He loves to be busy. If you want to torture him, just make him sit down and watch television.”

In December, Howe was not standing, feeding himself or walking. He was losing weight and couldn’t sustain himself. Murray said his dad was bedridden with no quality of life.

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“He had basically been recommended for hospice care at home so we were thinking maybe he had two or three weeks to live,” Murray told NHL.com.

After Howe’s treatment in Mexico, his children noticed positive changes within a day.

All of Howe’s children – Marty, Mark, Murray and Cathy– will be at the Kinsmen dinner. His son Marty told CKOM that his dad has a mischievous quality when things take a turn for the better.

“You know how he is. You have to be careful when he walks by you because he tries to trip you. He’s always elbowing you. He used to have a quick wit and dry sense of humour,” Marty said, adding he hopes that quality comes out Friday.

“I call it the Gordie show because all of a sudden when he sees all the people, he would just light up. I’m hoping he does really well at the Kinsmen Club dinner,” Marty said.

Wayne Gretzky is the keynote speaker of the program titled “A Tribute to Mr. Hockey.” 

In January, Saskatoon city council agreed to push through a name change for the Kinsmen arena to have it ready for Friday night. The club will unveil a PhotoShopped picture of the arena to include Howe’s name on the front.

“We are so looking forward to this. I tell you, the guys at the Kinsmen Club have been working tirelessly at this thing and trying to make it a perfect thing for Gordie and the Howe family greatly appreciates it.”

The Kinsmen Sports Celebrity Dinner begins at 5 p.m. at TCU Place.

-with files from News Talk Radio’s Wray Morrison

news@panow.com

On Twitter: @princealbertnow