Coach in need of life-saving kidney donation hoping for big assist

A Wilmot hockey coach is taking on the biggest battle of his life – off the ice.

Matt Bell has been a coach with the Wilmot Wolverines Girls Hockey Association for almost a decade, but now he’s waiting to receive a life-saving surgery.

He needs a kidney transplant and has been on the organ donation list for a year after failing to find a match within his family.

“Right now, it’s a little overwhelming. I have received lots of support from friends and family in the hockey community. It’s a tough thing to go through,” Bell said.

An upcoming hockey tournament, however, could give the coach some much-needed hope.

The 16th annual Kyla Kowalik Memorial Hockey Tournament kicks off on Jan. 10 at the Wilmot Recreation Complex. The tournament was named after a teenaged player who died in 2006 and her organs were donated after her death.

The event typically raises awareness for organ donation but, this year, it will also be used to spread the word about Bell’s search for a viable kidney donor.

“We want people to consider being a live donor for people like Matt, especially right now with him being a member of our association, but also going forward to consider that as well,” said Jeremy Cook, vice president of the Wilmot Wolverines Girls Hockey Association.

While Bell waits for the life-saving surgery, he has had to reshape his life for dialysis treatment.

“I do it five days a week. I’m all hooked up to the machine for three hours,” Bell said.

Dr. Gerald Rosenstein, a member of Bell’s medical team, said the treatment becomes a lifestyle. Bell has the ability to set up the required equipment at home, but some patients have to go to medical centers for treatment which can take hours.

“We’re looking at 14 hours a week the patients are spending devoting time to their kidney care,” Rosenstein said.

With the memorial tournament in sight, the goal is getting Bell back behind the bench and back to his normal routine.

“One of you own community members, somebody who’s active within your hockey association, is in need of your help,” Cook said. “That [need] for a kidney, to help him continue a decent quality of life for him in his family.”

“I have to do dialysis and follow this treatment regimentally until I either get a transplant or the inevitable happens,” Bell said.

A healthy living donor can make a kidney donation and it’s a choice that could make a drastic difference for people like Bell.

“Getting a kidney transplant gets patients off dialysis and returns them, in most cases, [though] not all cases, but in most cases to a very normal life,” Rosenstein said.