A B.C. minor hockey coach has found an organ donor thanks to a heartfelt plea made by his peewee team’s players.
Stephen Gillis is about to get a new kidney from an old friend named Michael Teigen, whom he hadn’t seen in a decade.
Teigen decided to see if he was a match after seeing a viral video by members of the Spirit hockey team.
Gillis, who is on dialysis, almost died last month after surgery to remove his colon.
Teigen surprised Gillis in hospital with the news that he’d done all the testing and is a match.
Gillis broke down in tears of joy and joked that he’d shine his friend’s shoes for the rest of his life. Tiegen said he might one day need help with moving.
“It’s the most selfless, kind piece of generosity I’ve ever seen from human being,” Gillis said, adding that he hopes his story raises awareness of the need for more organ donors.
“There are lots of people like me, good people that need organs that need their lives saved,” he said.
