ESPN’s “E:60” to Feature Wild Forward Jake Dowell

Apr 23, 2013; Saint Paul, MN, USA; Los Angeles Kings forward Dustin Penner (25) and Minnesota Wild forward Jake Dowell (18) battle for the puck in the third period at the Xcel Energy Center. The Wild defeat the Kings 2-1. Mandatory Credit: Marilyn Indahl-USA TODAY Sports

The Minnesota Wild may have just found themselves another Masterton Trophy winner, but we certainly hope it doesn’t come down to that.

This Tuesday night, September 24th, the Minnesota/Iowa Wild’s Jake Dowell will be featured on ESPN’s “E:60” for his struggles with a genetic disease that is slowly killing his father and brother, and may in fact be in him.

ESPN’s Chris Connelly tells the tragic tale of Dowell’s struggles and whether or not he should be tested for the disease, or live in agonizing uncertainty. His chances of inheriting the disease at 50-50, Dowell, together with the love and support of his wife and mother, faces the future, and the test that will ultimately reveal his fate, head on.

Some quotes from the piece include:

JAKE DOWELL:It’s just such a scary thing that you have to just absolutely just be ready to accept your fate either way…It’s basically the flip of a coin… JAKE DOWELL:I just was so mad at everything that was going on. I felt robbed of my dad and I felt like it was such a burden on my mom that I thought everything was unfair. I went into kind of a poor me, everybody feel bad for me for a year or two.  CARLY DOWELL (WIFE): I know that he feels guilty and wonders ‘can I bring another person into this knowing what might happen?’  CHRIS CONNELLY:What would it be like to know that you didn’t have Huntington’s disease?JAKE DOWELL:The biggest weight ever lifted off me; whatever energy that I waste worrying about this right now, I could put into my life and into helping other people. VICKI DOWELL (MOTHER): He either can’t have it or they have to have a cure in his lifetime (wipes eyes), because I can’t lose him. I just want him to have a long, long life filled with dreams coming true and lots of happiness and I believe he deserves that. (Breaking down) Someone in our family needs to be able to have that life…

We certainly wish nothing but the best for Dowell and his family.

Our thanks goes out to ESPN Communications Associate Director Andy Hall for sending Gone Puck Wild this information. ESPN’s “E:60” returns with new stories on Tuesdays at 7 p.m. Eastern Time. Re-airs will also appear on ESPN2, ESPNU and WatchESPN.com.

Follow Dakota Case at Twitter.com/Dakota_case