Kyle Buell has a dream!

I was 16 years old when I went to my first Winnipeg Jets game.

On October 19, 1991, I made the journey to the city from Dauphin with my fellow Jets fanatic friend Andy Gillies, him in his blue #6 Housley jersey, and me in my #22 Mantha jersey. After sitting in the front row to watch the players go through their pre-game skate, we moved up to our seats in the terrifyingly steep upper deck at the now demolished Winnipeg Arena, and watched our team beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2. After the game, we hung out around the dressing room and met a lot of players and legendary announcer Curt Kielback! I remember being tongue tied as Moe Mantha autographed my jersey, which hangs in my mother's home back in Sifton, Manitoba to this day.

Today I read a story in the Winnipeg Free Press today that brought back all the memories of that first game.

It's about a young man named Kyle Buell. Just like I was, he's a 16 year old, and wants to go to his first NHL game. His biggest dream "is to attend a couple of Calgary Flames games, see a practice, meet the players, and get (his) Kiprusoff jersey signed".

Before he was two years old, Kyle was diagnosed with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, apparently one of the most severest forms of the disorder. Over the last 5 years his condition has deteriorated to the point where he is bound to a wheelchair, essentially only able to move from the neck up. Two gentlemen who work with him at Grant Park High School, Rick Morris and Dorian Girardin, have decided to help Kyle fulfill his dream.

Seeing my first NHL game was easy. Andy and I just piled in to his family's GMC Jimmy and let them drive us down to Winnipeg.

For Kyle, it's a lot more complicated.

"I'm no longer able to travel by plane due to my Scoliosis back surgery but I am healthy enough to travel by wheelchair van, which could change at any time. I'm afraid of when I need a ventilator I will no longer be able to travel because of the care that I will need.

In order for my big dream to come true we would need to rent an electric hospital bed, Hoyer lift, wheelchair accessible van, and a wheelchair accessible hotel room for 5 nights, which comes at a huge cost of $8,000 and isn't affordable to my family or to the EAs that work with me at school."

This story really resonated with me. When I'm old and gray, I'll look back on the day I saw my first NHL game and met my hockey heroes as one of the best of my life.

I want Kyle to have those memories too.

You too can help Kyle out. Tax deductible donations may be sent to:

The Children's Heritage Fund
c/o Karen Knight, guidance department
Grant Park High Schoo
l450 Nathaniel St.
R3M 3E3

Photo: TREVOR HAGAN / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS

I know there are plenty of deserving charities to donate money to, especially this time of year. This differs in that you actually know what your money is going to provide. There's a face attached, rather than just an organization. It's personal.

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