Devils fan with autoimmune diseases fulfills dream of singing anthem

NEWARK, N.J. -- Lauren "The Warrior" Liff certainly deserved a shot to make her dream come true by singing the national anthem before the New Jersey Devils faced the Florida Panthers at Prudential Center on Saturday.

The 30-year-old Dover, New Jersey, resident, diagnosed in 2009 with autoimmune diseases that affect her bladder and kidneys, has been a Devils fan for as long as she can remember. She constantly offers her appreciation of the Devils via her Twitter account, even during her fight against interstitial cystitis, medullary sponge kidney, and nephrolithiasis.
"My bladder doesn't function normally," Liff said. "I have medical implants in my back that help with pain. They don't necessarily help all the time ... it's a chronic illness. I live with pain on a daily basis, and I take more medication than I care to. It impacts literally every aspect of my life."

Liff, who has a 6-year-old son, Avery, and a fiance, Zac, who she will marry in September 2019, said she has been a Devils fanatic ever since witnessing her first game with her dad at Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey, in 1996.
"Patrik Elias is my all-time favorite," she said. "I get the same feelings today as I did at my first hockey game. The smell of the ice, the way the skates sound, just the whole atmosphere.
"Brian Boyle has been a huge inspiration for me. Hearing his story and knowing what he's going through and the support he had from all the fans and from the organization, it gives me confidence and strength."
Boyle, 33, diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia on Sept. 19, 2017, told NHL.com on Wednesday that his disease is in molecular remission.

Singing the anthem before a Devils game is something Liff has thought about since she was 5.
"I used to practice the anthem all the time in the back seat of my grandparents' car," Liff said. "I literally have wanted to do this all my life. It was the No. 1 thing on my bucket list."
Liff wants to offer hope to those afflicted by any disease.
"My message is to put one foot in front of the other, keep your chin up, keep smiling, because even in the darkest times there's always light at the end of the tunnel," she said. "In the beginning it was hard for me to see that, but anybody can do it ... you just have to believe it."