Gordie Howe to celebrate 87th birthday with fishing, cake, Red Wings

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Mere months after he was on the brink of death, Gordie Howe will celebrate his 87th birthday with his children on Tuesday.

His family said the big day will include fishing, cake, barbecue and a Red Wings game on television.

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Howe, who played right wing for the Red Wings from 1946-71, will receive another round of stem cell treatment in Mexico in June, which is credited to saving his life after a series of strokes last fall.

"We're treating every day we get with him as a bonus," son Mark Howe told the Detriot Free Press. "Just because his condition around December 1 was so dire that we didn't imagine he'd be around. You cherish every day with him, and when he has good days, you cherish that more."

Things were so bad that funeral preparations were made and a eulogy was prepared. However, a last-ditch effort with stem-cell treatment reversed the effects of the strokes.

However, the strokes and treatment may have contributed to his dementia, which has stunted his short-term memory.

"It's probably vascular dementia," son Murray Howe said. "Look, he played 32 years without a helmet, was knocked out Lord knows how many times. The fact his dementia is so unusual in terms of how it presents, I suspect it's a component of traumatic brain injury."

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