Submitted Photo Mia Curtin hopes to return to playing hockey after her battle with a rare brain condition.

A special guest will be at center ice for puck drop of a community event for a good cause in early October.

The Community Hockey Game, in its eighth year, will honor Dunkirk’s Mia Curtin on Saturday, Oct. 7 at 7 p.m., at Jamestown’s Northwest Arena.

Mia Curtin is an elementary school student in Dunkirk who battled Rasmussen’s Encephalitis, a rare neurological condition that affects only one side of the brain, usually impacting children under the age of 10. The condition left her temporarily paralyzed on the left side of her body and led to multiple seizures spanning months.

Eventually, Mia underwent a right hemispherectomy at the Cleveland Clinic on April 21, a year after her symptoms were first presented. She returned home a month after the brain surgery, went to school just two days after returning home, and later threw the first pitch at a Dunkirk High School baseball playoff game.

Mia’s love for sports is represented no more so than her love for hockey. Her recovery has progressed to the point where she recently laced up her skates for the first time post-surgery and skated during private ice time. The Community Through Hockey hopes Mia can skate on the ice with them at the annual charitable event later this fall.

The Community Through Hockey charitable organization made up of Police Officers, Firefighters, and Correctional Officers that play ice hockey. Since 2015, a total of $62,600 has been raised for area families and organizations through the annual hockey game.

“We hope the community comes out and helps make it another great night,” said Eric Herman, Founder and President of Community Through Hockey.

The Community Through Hockey charity game is the latest in a list of community events to support Mia in her recovery. She also was recognized with a benefit at the Kosciuszko Club and she participated in the Memorial Day parade, along with throwing out ceremonial first pitches at the Dunkirk Marauders baseball game and the annual Mongy Memorial Wiffle Ball Tournament.

“We can’t thank the community enough. … It’s been amazing,” said Mia’s grandmother, Linda Curtin. “It was all unexpected to us, every little thing that people had done. We never once asked for anything. They all came forward to us. … We have a great community. We’re very lucky.”

Admission to the hockey game is free. The event will feature a basket raffle, large item raffle, and 50/50 drawing.

Visit “Community Through Hockey” and “Motivation For Mia” on Facebook for more information.