Columbus Blue Jackets' staffer honored at NHL awards ceremony for kidney donation

LAS VEGAS ― The Blue Jackets didn’t win any NHL awards Thursday night, but a touching story with connections to the team was featured during the league’s award show.

Lindy Noel, a member of the Blue Jackets’ public relations staff, was honored on stage for donating a kidney in late April to Aaron Portzline, a reporter who has covered the team from its inception for The Dispatch and currently The Athletic.

Noel was introduced by actor Gaten Mattarazzo of the Netflix series Stranger Things. The donation ended a long search for a living donor to restore Portzline’s health. He spent the entirety of the past season getting long, exhausting dialysis treatments three times a week, often attending practices and games the same day or night.

Portzline’s kidneys failed due to a genetic condition that required his mother and brother to receive donations before him. A long list of potential donors went through testing procedures before being eliminated, including his wife, daughter, extended family and friends. The failure to find a match began to cast doubt on whether a living donor would be found, but Noel finally matched.

She informed him of it during a surprise announcement at Nationwide Arena, which was recorded and shown during the ceremony Thursday.

“The reason I did this is because my dad had cancer and there was no donation that could save him,” Noel said on stage. “I wish Aaron could be here, but he’s back home in Columbus and wasn’t cleared to fly. But I know I speak on his behalf when I say this is what being part of our hockey community is all about.”

Portzline also had a surprise for Noel in the form of a pre-recorded message.

“I’ve been so fortunate to be part of the hockey community for so many years now, but I’ve never felt that love, that connection, more than I have over this past year,” Portzline said. “On this night, when the NHL honors so many of the people and the players who make this game great, I’m thankful for the opportunity to again say thank you to my MVP, Lindy Noel of the Columbus Blue Jackets. It takes an incredibly brave and kind person to do what you did, Lindy. You literally saved my life. Myself, my family and my friends are endlessly grateful. Thank you so much.”

Along with sharing her reason for becoming a living donor, Noel also helped introduce the winner of this year’s Norris Trophy, which went to Quinn Hughes of the Vancouver Canucks as the NHL’s top defenseman.

bhedger@dispatch.com

@BrianHedger

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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Blue Jackets staffer's kidney donation honored during NHL awards show