QHS junior recovering from cardiothoracic surgery gets to meet Blues star during game day experience

QUINCY — Maybe the St. Louis Blues should consider asking Hunter Hildebrand to come back for more games.

The Blues had lost four consecutive games before knocking off the New York Rangers at Enterprise Center on March 10 when Hunter, a junior at Quincy High School, was a guest of the Blues thanks to Colton Parayko’s Project 55 Game Day Experience. After a road victory over Nashville two days later, the Blues have lost three straight entering Tuesday’s game at Washington.

Hunter, 16, enjoyed VIP seats with his parents, Karla and Chad, and his sister Madalyn. The family sat in the penalty box to watch the Blues warm up before the game, and Hunter rode the Zamboni after the first period. After the game, the family met Parayko, a 6-foot-6 defenseman. Hunter went home with a jersey, puck, stick and hockey card, all autographed by Parayko.

“I had a lot of fun,” he said. “I liked meeting him. He was a really nice guy, and he was really tall. He was really, really tall.”

Hunter especially liked when Blues goalie Jordan Binnington skated across the rink and then stopped short of the penalty box, sending a spray of ice against the glass.

“That was the craziest for all of us, because we were like, ‘That was Jordan Binnington,’” Karla said.

Hunter was the first Project 55 Game Day Experience recipient Parayko has met face-to-face since the start of the pandemic.

“We were able to actually sit and talk to him for quite a while,” Karla said. “He’s the most genuine, down-to-earth guy. My daughter has autism, and when (Parayko) started asking her questions, she went on this tangent about animal facts. He was just super interested, just so nice to her. I think he’s her new favorite hero.”

The Ronald McDonald House St. Louis, which partners with Parayko’s foundation, nominated Hunter for the experience.

Hunter continues to recover from major cardiothoracic surgery in December. Deformities caused part of his chest to protrude and another part to sink in, restricting air flow to his lungs while also putting pressure on his heart. Doctors told him he needed to rebuild his chest wall to prevent further damage.

“I was having trouble breathing throughout the day (in December 2019), so I just went to the (school) nurse because I didn’t know what was going on,” Hunter said. “That’s when I first noticed my chest, the way it was. I was like, something’s not right.”

Hunter visited four doctors before finding Dr. Brad Warner, chief of surgery at St. Louis Children’s Hospital. 

“(His chest) was reset within the last year but it kept getting worse, worse, worse,” Karla said. “With COVID, (doctors) were just really watching because they really didn’t want to have to (have surgery). Then it got to where he didn’t have a choice. We found out in November that surgery was in December. It was kind of a quick turnaround.”

Hunter and his mother have no idea how his condition developed.

“That’s what I’m kind of trying to figure out,” Karla said. “They did an incision in his chest, almost like open heart surgery, and broke his sternum. They broke all of his ribs, then rebuilt his entire chest wall.”

When the Blues first contacted the Hildebrands earlier this month, Hunter learned a mass had developed in his chest after the surgery.

“We’re watching very close to see what (doctors) think it might be, but they’re not sure,” Karla said. 

Hunter wears a specially molded brace to protect his chest. He no longer uses a wheelchair to get around, and he says he’s improving as he recuperates. 

“If I was running or jogging, I would hyperventilate or something like that because I’ll be breathing so fast,” Hunter said. “Now, it’s slow, deep breaths. I still get tired, but not like before. Now I can take a deep breath.”

“The first thing he told me when he started recovery was that he didn’t realize how bad his breathing had gotten,” Karla said. 

When he’s not in school or following the Blues and St. Louis Cardinals, Hunter plays the cymbals in the Quincy High School band. He’s only one credit shy of having enough credits to graduate, but he plans to return to school in the fall. His goal is to play the bass drum when the band performs at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla., in December.

“Marching band (practice during the summer) is coming up pretty soon, but I have no idea how I’ll do,” he said. “But I’m going to say it’s going to be good.”