The hockey coach of Dartmouth, MBA/MPH Gunnar Esiason, is married to his wife, Darcy Kaspar.
Gunnar advocates for early-stage drug research, patient empowerment, and health policy who also suffers from cystic fibrosis and other uncommon diseases.
Similarly, he oversees Florence Healthcare’s patient-focused strategy. Professionally, he launched a venture philanthropy practice at the Boomer Esiason Foundation, developed a patient engagement platform for a medical nutrition company, and served as the varsity hockey coach at his high school alma mater.
The hockey coach has advised on developing clinical trials, population health research using real-world data, and a screening tool for mental health and wellness unique to cystic fibrosis.
Since Gunnar was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis in 1993, he has served as the face of the Boomer Esiason Foundation’s fundraising initiatives, raising more than $160 million for the cause.
His views on health policy have been published in The Hill, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, and STAT News.
Some Quick Facts About Gunnar Esiason
| Name | Gunnar Esiason |
| Age | 31 |
| Profession | Hockey Coach |
| Parents | Boomer Esiason and Cheryl Hyde |
| Wife | Darcy Esiason |
| Son | Kasper Esiason |
Meet Gunnar Esiason Wife Darcy Gunner
Gunnar Esiason is currently married to his wife, Darcy Gunner. They have been together for more than six years, and the couple revealed that they started dating in the mid of 2015.
Later, they tied the knot, exchanged their wedding vows in June 2022, and welcomed a boy named Kasper Esiason. They met for the first time through their mutual friend, as she said Gunnar’s high school friend was her college roommate.
They grew up playing ice hockey, so they enjoy skating together. It’s been cold this winter, and the couple has played pond hockey quite a few times.
The coach’s wife has revealed that one of the things she likes best about Gunnar is his ability to make her laugh. Gunnar is always talking in different accents, sending her funny videos, and offering blunt commentary on the world around them. He brings his wife to tears with laughter almost every time they are together.
Darcy saw Gunnar do treatments about three weeks into dating. She asked many questions, and she doesn’t think it was that monumental for her to see Gun do treatments. Still, the mother of one remembers after her parents saw him do treatments for the first time, they commented that they gained great respect for how much time and energy he has to give to take care of himself.
Darcy believes that her husband is highly disciplined and self-sufficient regarding his CF care. She would never even have the opportunity to “remind him” to do something because his care routine is a well-oiled machine.
With that being said, Kasper’s mother thinks one of the hardest things about loving someone with a chronic illness is seeing them in pain and feeling useless. So, she sanitizes his neb-cups and helps with IVs, but her niche is nutrition. Also, she makes blends for Gunnar’s feeding tube.
Gunnar Esiason Wife Speaks About His Condition
Gunnar Esiason’s wife, Darcy, has been with him throughout his treatments and diagnosis of his rare condition. She has revealed many things about his problem and how they handle it.
When she was asked if she had second thoughts about leaving the relationship due to the disease, The wife of the hockey coach said she would never leave him due to his condition.
Although she is not anxiety-proof, Darcy had days when she felt nervous about Gunnar having a pulmonary exacerbation or anxious about possible issues in their future – but that’s ok! The mother of Kasper says She’d be a robot if she didn’t worry about CF stuff sometimes.
Generally, Dar doesn’t harp on such anxieties because that isn’t going to help either of them, but at the same time, it is essential to be able to take your fears and bring them out in the light. Thinking or talking about those fears reminds her that she loves Gunnar 1000 times more than she fears CF.
Gunnar’s issue has been problematic at times. Canceled plans, one of them being sick, and not going out as their peers do are specific parts of their lives.
While she doesn’t think there’s one “kind” of a person better suited to date someone with a chronic illness, Darcy believes that someone with a highly active social life and who likes late nights out would be a tough fit. She is sure there are people like that who make it work, though.
His treatments and care are also expensive. Again, this will be a more prevalent obstacle in their future, but Gunnar and Darcy love their careers. They communicate their current finances, expenses, and future goals so that the lovely couple feels prepared for their financial future.
Gunnar Esiason, His Wife Darcy Kaspar And Their Son Kaspar Make A Small Family
Gunnar Esiason and his supportive wife have been blessed with a baby boy, Kaspar Fitzwilliam Esiason. The couple has a family of three residing in Hanover, New Hampshire.
The Dartmouth hockey coach announced that he became a father on December 26, 2021, via his Instagram and his blog website.
Darcy safely delivered their baby boy, Kaspar Fitzwilliam Esiason, into the world; they both couldn’t stop crying when it happened. The rush of emotion was like nothing Gunnar had ever felt, and he was not sure he had adequate words to describe it all. However, Darcy and little Kaspar were happy and healthy after the delivery.
Gunnar Esiason On Being A Father
While talking about his son, Gunnar remembers his childhood. The past few days before the baby boy’s arrival, he had reshaped his life in more ways than he could have imagined. Growing up, his treatments represented a gateway to better health and more opportunities.
The hours of his childhood spent inhaling albuterol and Pulmozyme allowed him to go to school and hockey practice. As the coach grew older, those sometimes longer hours opened the door to high school football and college. Then it was hours inside clinical trials, operating rooms, and hospital beds that let him go to the occasional Rangers game with his friends.
Darcy jokes that she thinks she gave birth to his twin, but he thinks his lungs take after his mother’s, which makes him smile. Kaspar’s innocence has been greeted by more love than he has ever experienced at any other point in his life.
Some friends have asked Gunnar what it’s like to be a dad. he is not sure just yet, but he does know that he spends most of his days carrying all kinds of stuff to and from the car or nursery, which brings back memories of his dad carrying skis and boots to and from the lift when Gunnar was little.
However, Gunnar has also noticed his reflexes are suddenly attuned to even the slightest movement from baby Kaz or Darcy.
Coach Gunnar Esiasons Father Is A Former NFL Quarterback
Gunnar Esiason is not the only one linked with sports; his father, Norman, aka Boomer, is an NFL icon. His father has made a massive name for himself in American football.
Boomer, 61, is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons, mainly with the Cincinnati Bengals.
The Bengals drafted him in the second round of the 1984 NFL Draft, and he played for them for ten seasons total, not all consecutive. Esiason also played for the Arizona Cardinals and the New York Jets.
Boomer played collegiate football for head coaches Bobby Ross and Jerry Claiborne and offensive coordinator Ralph Friedgen at the University of Maryland. In addition, he received a scholarship from Maryland exclusively, and in 1982 and 1983, he earned two honorable mention All-American awards. His degree was a B.A. in 1984, and in 1999, he received the Distinguished Alumnus Award.
The father of Gunner was selected for one first-team All-Pro selection and four Pro Bowls throughout his playing career. His most successful campaign was spent with the Bengals in 1988 when he was named the league’s Most Valuable Player and helped the team reach Super Bowl XXIII, where they were narrowly defeated in the finals.
Esiason spent his first nine seasons in Cincinnati, then three with the Jets, one with the Cardinals, and his final season with the Bengals in 1997.
He has worked as a football analyst for CBS Sports on The NFL Today and Showtime’s Inside the NFL since he quit playing the sport; he was also with ABC, HBO, and Westwood One. Additionally, he hosts Boomer and Gio, a morning sports radio show on New York’s WFAN.
Boomer Esiason Established A Foundation To Help His Son And Many Others
Boomer Esiason, a former NFL quarterback, is the most prominent national figure in the struggle against cystic fibrosis, a lethal genetic condition that affects 30,000 children and adults in the US.
Esiason has been a dedicated and active supporter of numerous charitable causes throughout his career in professional sports and the media, but he started focusing on cystic fibrosis in 1993 after his son, Gunnar, was diagnosed with the condition.
Boomer established the Boomer Esiason Foundation in 1994 to improve awareness, education, and quality of life for people with cystic fibrosis while funding research to find a cure.
This dynamic alliance of leaders from the medical and business communities comprises a dedicated core of volunteers. As a result, more than $150 million has been raised since the Boomer Esiason Foundation’s founding to fund initiatives that directly assist people with cystic fibrosis (CF) and research into a possible cure.
Esiason keeps fighting the illness head-on and aids in elevating CF to the top of national policy debates. He has made numerous trips to Capitol Hill and different locations to advocate for the CF community.
The former football player has shifted his focus to closing the gap between pediatric and adult CF care since the median age of survival for CF patients has risen to more than 40, and many are living well into their adult years.
Boomer Esiason Foundation For A Change
The Boomer Esiason Foundation has taken the lead in pushing for the construction of cutting-edge facilities for those individuals suffering from the illness.
The Foundation provided $6 million to Columbia University Medical Center to establish the Gunnar Esiason Adult Cystic Fibrosis and Lung Program, a premier adult CF care facility that opened its doors in 2009.
Gunnar Esiason Mother Cheryl Hyde Is An Unsung Hero
Gunnar’s mom, Cheryl Hyde, is the unsung hero regarding the invaluable support he has gotten from his family throughout the fight with cystic fibrosis.
Whereas his dad, Boomer, gets a ton of the credit in the public eye for bringing awareness to the disease, his mother has been, and still is, the backbone for the hands-on fight at home.
When Gunnar was younger, she essentially did all the dirty work. Every day she would clean all the necessary equipment for his treatments, order new medications from the pharmacy and prepare them for use. It may not seem like a lot, but the sterilization process is no joke.
When the soon-to-be coach was well into high school, his mom taught him how to sterilize his “nebs.” She was preparing him to be more independent and then, ultimately, the task of taking care of himself during college and beyond.
As he got older, though, there came other lessons. She taught him how to use a syringe properly. She taught him how to deal with pharmacies and insurance companies whenever there seemed to be an issue. She also taught Gunnar how to take care of an IV or PICC line properly with the help of home care nurses.
Moreover, she has been there for Esiason during his tough times patiently. She has been an integral part of the family.