When Bonnie O’Reilly’s sons were growing up, Graham Nesbitt was a local legend in Ontario, Canada. He was the manager of an arena in Seaforth and would open early or stay open after regular hours to give kids more time to skate. Both of her sons went on to play professional hockey in the NHL and when she found out Nesbitt was in need of a kidney transplant, she stepped up to become his donor.
Bonnie’s son Ryan is now captain of the St. Louis Blues and won the Stanley Cup with the team in 2019 and she’s grateful for the time on the ice Nesbitt gave him growing up. The 65-year-old has Berger’s disease and needed a new kidney, and many volunteered to be donors. Bonnie was a match and after a successful surgery last week, both are recovering well.
Joe Nesbitt, Graham’s son, recalls Bonnie telling his dad, “What you’ve done for my boys, helping them achieve their goal of playing professional hockey, it’s the least we can do.” He adds, “My dad is just blown away by this.”
Source:CBC
Photo Credit: Getty