Sarah Palin's Cancer-Stricken Hockey Star Boyfriend Reveals How Disease Has Impacted their Relationship — Admits He Was at Former Governor's Home When He First Fell Ill
Ron Duguay has revealed how his cancer battle has impacted his relationship with former Governor Sarah Palin.
March 4 2026, Published 5:40 p.m. ET
Sarah Palin's hockey star boyfriend, Ron Duguay, has opened up about how his cancer battle has impacted his relationship with the former Governor, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
The New York Rangers legend, 68, was shoveling snow at Palin's Alaska home when he first fell ill in October 2024.
'I Wasn't Feeling Myself'
Ron Duguay visits Palin's Alaska's home, helping with landscaping, as his daughter admits they're 'very close.'
Testing confirmed he had Stage 4 cancer, and he secretly spent the next months fighting the illness in private before his daughters encouraged him to launch a GoFundMe page to raise money for a wealth of alternative treatments he's considering – and he’s already smashed the target.
Duguay’s daughter, Shay Thomas, has told how her father and Palin are "very close," but they "haven't been able to see each other as much lately because of what my dad is going through, and Sarah also has obligations caring for her son, Trig, who requires additional care."
Speaking about Palin himself, Duguay told The Daily Mail: "I go there at different times.
"I help with her landscaping in the summer, and I help in the winter, clearing a little bit of snow, so I happened to be there in October... but unfortunately, I wasn't feeling myself, so I had to leave."
GoFundMe Goal for Cancer Treatment
Duguay is seeking 'alternative treatments' abroad.
Duguay says he lost both his gallbladder and his appendix during the course of his treatment. Given the Stage 4 diagnosis, his cancer requires an extremely intense fight.
After initially setting a goal of $26,000, the family has raised over $111,000 for Duguay from his GoFundMe, meaning finding alternative treatments – including centers in either Mexico, Russia, or Germany – could become a realistic opportunity.
Thomas said, "My dad never wanted to ever mention the stress of his finances. But I could feel it and see it, and the things that he was going through in the conversations that we were having.
"With his numbers jumping up again, we just felt as a family that we needed to reach out. And so many people were asking how they could help."
Ron Duguay on Generosity of Fans: 'We're Just So Grateful'
The hockey ace has already smashed his GoFundMe target.
Now, Duguay's hope to find alternative treatments is a reality thanks to the generosity of others.
"In our family, we're very much like, 'We'll figure it out,' you know, and... we got to that point, and so I just made (the GoFundMe), and the outreach and the love have been so amazing, and we're just so grateful.
"So many people have reached out. We see the names of donations of people that we've grown up with, people that we haven't even talked to in a while... this has been such a relief."
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Both Duguay and his family are disappointed by Rangers' silence on cancer battle.
But they are, however, disappointed by his old team, the New York Rangers, who have been very "quiet" and Duguay feels equally upset by their stance.
Thomas says: "Over the past four years, the organization has hardly used him for any work or involvement, despite the fact that he served as an ambassador for the team for approximately 25 years and has given so much of himself to the Rangers throughout his career and long after retirement.
"Given that history and loyalty, this has been especially difficult and hurtful for him during this time."
