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Vladimir Tarasenko, Blues provide special birthday surprise for young fan (Video)

St. Louis Blues
St. Louis Blues

When the St. Louis embark on the final two games of a five-game road trip in mid-March, there will be a very special guest along with them.

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Arianna Dougan is a friend of Vladimir Tarasenko. The 11-year-old met the Blues superstar two years ago during a Hockey Fights Cancer event and later connected two other times, including during a pre-game ceremony last November.

For the last eight years Arianna has been battling neuroblastoma, a type of cancer that affects young children. According to the Blues, she’s relapsed four times, but a current treatment she’s undergoing seems to be working toward making her cancer-free.

On Monday, Arianna’s 11th birthday, she was a guest of the Blues after their morning skate. She brought along a box of chocolate covered strawberries (with blue sprinkles, of course) for Tarasenko and his teammates, but it was the Blues forward who had a very special surprise for the birthday girl.

Is it pollen season already? Jeez. Very dusty in here.

During the team’s Casino Night last week, Tarasenko bid and won the auction for the chance for a person and a guest to join the Blues for their games in Arizona and Colorado next month, and won it specifically for his friend Arianna and her mother.

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“I was crying in the background,” said Lorie Zucker, Arianna’s mother, via the Blues website. “She’s so over the moon she doesn’t realize what she’s got yet. It won’t hit home until she gets in the car. This has been the best birthday ever.”

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Sean Leahy is the associate editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!