The Abbotsford Centre received a new centre-hung video board, ribbon boards and a new 50/50 display this fall 鈥� but perhaps the arena鈥檚 most heartwarming new addition was unveiled on Tuesday (Jan. 30).
Kidney Alley, the brainchild of Skully White of Lullys Food Experience, has been erected just beside the gourmet-hotdog stand on the walls between sections 107 and 108 inside the AC.
The wall will showcase local people in need of a kidney transplant and share the success stories of those who have been matched.
Exciting day at . The wall outside Lullys hot dog stand is now going to be renamed 鈥淜idney Alley鈥�.
鈥� Ben Lypka (@BenLypka)
Local kidney donators will be highlighted on the wall outside section 107 and 108.
Skully White has been a longtime advocate for kidney awareness
White began his kidney awareness journey back in 2019 when he learned that a loyal Lullys customer was in desperate need of a kidney. When White realized he was a match for that man he donated his kidney to him in December 2020.
In the years that followed, White has launched campaigns to match up other donors and recipients. He has also promised free hotdogs for life for anyone who donates a kidney. White was the subject of a documentary film funded by Telus last year.
White said working with kidney donors and recipients has allowed him to meet some amazing people and he鈥檚 thrilled to be able to bring more awareness through Kidney Alley.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been an absolute mind-blowing experience, this is just too much savage - pure savage,鈥� he said, to a gathering of friends and family outside his stand at the AC. 鈥淲e鈥檙e going to call this Kidney Alley and this is where we want to focus in and let people know about the people that we鈥檙e trying to find kidneys for locally.鈥�
Tuesday also marked the addition of three Abbotsford locals to Kidney Alley. White hung posters for Parvinder Sidhu, Frank Pongracz and Ariel, all three of whom need someone to step up to save their lives. Kidney Alley also displays several local success stories, including Miranda and Enrique Perez 鈥� both cases in which White helped find a match.
鈥淭hese people wouldn鈥檛 be kicking around without those donations,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he best part with Miranda was she told me she had a checkup with her lung doctors because she had two lung transplants before the kidney and they said her lungs have now never been better. I asked Enrique how he鈥檚 feeling and he said he hasn鈥檛 felt this good in a decade.鈥�
White urged his friends to share the posters of those up in the AC to help find a match. He said Kidney Alley was a way to bring more awareness to kidney donation. He said the Abbotsford Canucks were very open to its creation.
鈥淭hey let me use the jumbotron to make announcements in the past and they were just like 鈥榞o for it鈥�,鈥� he said. 鈥淭here wasn鈥檛 even a moment of hesitation from them, they just said do it.鈥�
He added that while he focuses mostly on matching those in the eastern Fraser Valley, he has connections to kidney organizations all throughout western Canada. Anyone interested in donating can contact him.
Tuesday was also special because the AC was also the site for White鈥檚 appearance on the Bush Wreck Rescue television show. White received a special vehicle for all of his work related to kidney awareness from the show and it was officially unveiled in front of his friends and family outside his hotdog stand.
Bush Wreck Rescue is a docuseries that follows motorheads in B.C. and Alberta obsessed with turning old, abandoned trucks, specialty vehicles, and heavy equipment into custom gems.
It鈥檚 expected that the show will air later this year.
Kidney Alley will be available for the public to view starting with this Friday鈥檚 (Feb. 2) Abbotsford Canucks game.
