Despite still dealing with heartbreaking personal issues, David Perron has made a shocking announcement

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Daniel Lucente
November 15, 2024 (9:28 PM)

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David Perron has announced that he is returning to the Ottawa Senators, despite the fact he and his wife are still dealing with heartbreaking personal issues.

Last month, veteran Ottawa Senators forward David Perron took a leave of absence from the team for personal reasons, which were later disclosed to involve complications in his wife Vanessa's pregnancy.

It was reported at the time that Vanessa had gone to Toronto to undergo a medical procedure to address a severe risk to their unborn daughter, Elizabeth.

Prayers

Elizabeth Perron. We decided her name on our way to get a procedure done in Toronto. I needed her to be real before risking to lose her. A couple weeks before at 30 weeks I found out she had a large congenital pulmonary airway malformation. We Shorten our summer and moved into a hotel room to start a follow-up/treatment for our little girl while our new house renovations were on the way. Moving our family accros countries while navigating this diagnosis was not easy.

While in Toronto she had a procedure to implant shunts (drain) in her lungs in vitro. We were lucky enough that most of the mass did shrink enough not to put her life in danger while I was still pregnant.

Im finally 37 weeks and that's a big milestone for our little warrior. She will most likely need to go under for a major open surgery at birth. The risks are big. As a mother it is a nightmare to know you are about to give birth and also know what she will have to endure in order to give her a chance to live. You want to keep her safe inside you, because at least she still there. I'm amazed at this new perspective in life. The sick kid's parent. It feels very surreal. And it is probably one of the hardest things I've been through.

I did not share it before because it's hard to give updates as I was trying to stay positive. We are now facing difficult moments for our family and I would like to ask for prayers. Our little Elizabeth will need it. I have hope. She's so strong already.

- Vanessa Perron on Instagram

On Friday, Perron came back to the Senators and updated the status of his family. He mentioned that the baby, Elizabeth, had a mass on her lung that required surgery. She underwent her first surgery in utero in August, with another just weeks after birth.

Per team insider Bruce Garrioch, David and Vanessa have been to an inordinate number of medical appointments to ensure their daughter's care.

Having missed the last 11 games, Perron is now full-time with the team and will likely play Saturday against the Carolina Hurricanes.

Still in search of his first point as a Senator, Perron has appeared in five games this season after signing a two-year, $8 million contract with Ottawa during the offseason.

Our thoughts are still with the Perron family, and we continue to wish them strength and good news regarding Vanessa and Elizabeth.