Sarah Palin Says Prayers Are 'So Appreciated' as She Shares Photos of NHL Boyfriend in the Hospital During Colon Cancer Fight

Sarah Palin is asking for prayers for her NHL boyfriend, Ron Duguay.

The former governor of Alaska shared a photo of Duguay from his hospital bed in an October 18 Instagram Story as the athlete battles Stage IV colon cancer.

"Prayers for Ron Duguay are so appreciated," she captioned the photo of the couple holding hands at City of Hope Cancer Treatment Center in Southern California.

In another Instagram Story, Palin shared an inspirational quote over a photo of her looking at her ailing boyfriend in his hospital bed as he looked back with a breathing tube in his nose.

"I know God can. I'm asking him to," it read. "And even if the answer looks different. I know by now to still hold on to him."

Palin and Duguay have been together since 2022. The 69-year-old played 12 seasons in the NHL between 1977 and 1989 on teams including the New York Rangers and the Detroit Red Wings.

He was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2024.

Duguay’s daughter, Shay Thomas, hinted that her father's treatment had taken a turn for the worse on social media earlier this month.

"I wasn’t planning on posting anything, but I believe in the power of prayer, and right now, we need all the prayers we can get,” she wrote on October 11. “And I know so many love him so much. Please keep our dad in your prayers.”

Less than three months prior, Thomas revealed that her father had been rushed to the hospital after being found unconscious.

"After extensive testing, doctors found that he was extremely dehydrated and had been struggling to eat because of how sick he had been feeling," she shared.

"They also discovered varices, portal hypertensive gastropathy, internal bleeding and an ulcer," Thomas added.

His daughter opened up about Palin's support for her father in a recent interview, noting that she has been "incredibly supportive" of the entire family.

"Their relationship can obviously be challenging because they live long-distance," Thomas added, gushing that she's "incredibly grateful for Palin. "She’s in Alaska, he’s in Florida. But they have always remained close.”

However, Palin has been eager to fly from coast to coast to be there for Duguay and his family at the drop of a hat.

"If we ever need her for something, she would take a red-eye flight on short notice,” she gushed. “If we have stuff with our kids and couldn’t make it — for example, my dad had a surgery where they went into his colon and liver — and she stayed with him in the hospital for five days. She’s been a huge source of support. Not only for my dad, but for our entire family.”