Matthew Schaefer stood inside a new playroom at a Lake Success cancer center this week, watching a 15-year-old boy knock a plastic puck around a bubble hockey table, and he couldn't help but think his mother was watching too. The Islanders defenseman and Northwell Health unveiled the Jennifer Schaefer Child Support Room at the R.J. Zuckerberg Cancer Center, a space built to give kids somewhere to be kids while a parent or caregiver battles cancer.
The room honors Schaefer's mother, Jennifer, who died in February 2024 after a two-year fight with breast cancer, according to NHL.com. The 19-year-old, now in his second season with the Islanders and the reigning Calder Trophy winner, dedicated the space at the Northwell Health Center for Advanced Medicine, per the New York Post. Schaefer said he believed his mother was smiling down on the day, and that his family had once wished for a room like this to find respite while she was sick, the Post reported.
The room was officially unveiled Monday afternoon, November 2, 2026, at the center in Lake Success.
A Mother's Memory Built Into the Walls
The Jennifer Schaefer Child Support Room is meant to provide comfort, support and joy for children whose parent or caregiver undergoes cancer treatment, according to Newsday. The space will be staffed by a trained child life specialist tasked with supporting children emotionally while they're there, the outlet's report on NHL.com noted. It also includes Islanders-themed touches, among them three lockers modeled after the ones in the team's own locker room and a bubble hockey table.
Tenika Isaacs, whose son L.J. London played bubble hockey with Schaefer at the dedication, said a parent's cancer diagnosis affects the entire family, not just the person undergoing treatment. Isaacs, who completed chemotherapy and radiation for breast cancer and is now in remission, said the room represents emotional support, compassion, connection and a recognition that children need care and reassurance too. London is 15 and Isaacs is his mother and a teacher, per the Post's reporting.
Schaefer gave London a ladybug bracelet during the visit, a gesture tied to a symbol he uses to feel connected to his mother. He said children would be able to play and simply be themselves inside the room, and that he hoped it would help many families going through similar struggles.
Family and Teammates Back the Project
Todd Schaefer, Matthew's father, said the room gives children a place to open up and just be children, adding that it's what his late wife would have wanted. Islanders co-owner Jon Ledecky, who attended, described Matthew as a better person than hockey player, according to the Post's account of the dedication.
Former Islanders forward Matt Martin and his wife, Sydney, were also on hand. Schaefer lives with the Martin family during the season, and Matt Martin said Schaefer has used his own experience to create a platform to help others. Martin said Schaefer had been looking forward to the project since it was first discussed back in 2025.
Matthew Schaefer told Northwell Health that he hopes the partnership brings a little of his mother's joy to people fighting cancer and their families. The Islanders Children's Foundation donated $150,000 to fund the project, and Schaefer added a personal contribution of his own that will go toward funding programming in the space, Newsday reported.
A Pattern of Giving Back
This isn't the first time Schaefer has shown up for young cancer patients on Long Island. During his rookie season, he visited local hospitals to spend time with children battling cancer and their families, Newsday reported separately. Sports Illustrated's On SI has also chronicled his volunteer work with groups including the Smilezone Foundation, the NHLPA, Northwell Health, The Big Assist, WNY Compassion Connection and the CIBC Run for the Cure.
On the ice, the Islanders have reportedly signed defenseman Ben Hutton to a professional tryout contract and are set to face the Hurricanes at UBS Arena on Thursday, according to the Post's report.
