Personal
When Vanbiesbrouck was with the Rangers, his brother Frank showed signs of severe depression and suicidal tendencies. During this time John attempted to reach out to Frank, occasionally flying separately from the team on road trips to check in on his brother, and talking to him every day. Despite his efforts Frank committed suicide in 1993. Vanbiesbrouck called Frank's death "devastating" and that he "felt very empty" when Frank died adding that his Christian faith and the Bible helped him through the difficult time.
While playing with the Flyers, Vanbiesbrouck and his family lived in Moorestown Township, New Jersey. He and his wife, Rosalinde, have four sons, Ian, Ben, Nicholas and Daniel. His son Ian was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) when he was five-years old. As a result Vanbiesbrouck started the Vanbiesbrouck Foundation for children with Attention Deficit Disorder to increase awareness of and raise money for children with ADD. However, when he left Florida via free agency the foundation was dissolved and the mission of the program went into an information service based in South Florida. Vanbiesbrouck is also the celebrity sponsor of a golf event in support of The Alan T. Brown Foundation to Cure Paralysis. He returned to his home state of Michigan following his playing days.
Read more about this topic: John Vanbiesbrouck
Famous quotes containing the word personal:
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