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Canadian hockey player leaving hospital two months after campfire explosion

Lethbridge Hurricanes forward Ryan Vandervlis, burned in campfire incident, tweets he will be released from hospital.
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Lethbridge Hurricanes player Ryan Vandervlis (left) is seen in this undated handout photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Cindy Adachi, Lethbridge Hurricanes

An Alberta player with the Western Hockey League who was seriously burned while hanging out at a backyard firepit has tweeted he will be released from a Calgary hospital today.

Ryan Vandervlis of the Lethbridge Hurricanes says in a post on Twitter that he will be discharged from Foothills Medical Centre this afternoon.

Vandervlis was with a group of young men in June who had gathered around a firepit as part of a pre-wedding celebration when a substance was placed in the fire, resulting in burns to half his body.

Two others were also burned but have since been released from hospital.

Vandervlis writes in his post that he still has a “long road ahead.”

He says the love and support that he and his family received has been “overwhelming and humbling.”

Related: Canadian hockey player burned by campfire out of coma

The Canadian Press

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