WATCH ABOVE: It’s the 8th annual Kimmett Cup dedicated to the memory of a young Cochrane woman killed in a car crash. As Carolyn Kury de Castillo reports, organizers are hoping to raise a half million dollars to grant wishes to sick children.
CALGARY – The cold weather didn’t stop over six hundred people from taking part in the ‘Kimmett Cup’ in Cochrane Saturday.
It’s the 8th annual event dedicated to the memory of a young Cochrane woman Lindsay Kimmett, killed in a car crash eight years ago.
The 26-year-old medical student loved hockey and that’s why her friends and family turned to the sport, creating the Kimmett cup to carry on her legacy.
The event is helping grant wishes to sick children.
READ MORE: Kimmett Cup honours young woman killed in 2008 car crash
Ryan Smethurst also loves hockey, but what’s amazing about Ryan is watching him play, especially when you consider what his heart has been through since he was born.
Ryan was born with two congenital heart defects. The William Aberhart high school student has had two angioplasties and has a stint that soon needs replacing.
“It was a pretty tough start for the little guy. He started off with a pretty big battle,” said Ryan’s mom, Heidi Smethurst.
But that didn’t stop him. He’s now able to play on the children’s wish team at the Kimmett Cup and the icing on the cake is a wish of his has just been granted.
In two weeks, Ryan will be at the NHL All Star game in Nashville.
“It’s all about the players there. Johnny Gaudreau and Mark Giordano are coming down to Nashville. It’ll be pretty cool to see the hometown Calgary Flames players playing,” said Ryan Smethurst.
Over the past three years, the Kimmett Cup has raised over $300,000 for The Children’s Wish Foundation, which grants wishes of young people with life threatening illnesses.
The tournament also continues to honour the life of Lindsay Kimmett, killed just 700 metres from her home by distracted driving.
“It’s important to our family that good still comes from my sister’s life and to actually see that good. To see Ryan and others playing today was absolutely incredible,” said Reid Kimmett, Lindsay’s brother. “It’s definitely humbling to see people here for our family, the support they have for my sister and her legacy, which we were really worried about after she passed away. Would that be it? Or would everything be over? The spirit that she had still lives on through this and it’s great to see.”
The frozen Mitford Pond in Cochrane is now a place where the wishes of sick kids come true. All thanks to the love of family and friends of a young woman not able to see her dreams come true.
“I just thought that is such a remarkable honour for their sister to carry that memory forward. We’re just extremely grateful. They are just exemplary wonderful role models for our kids to see,” said Heidi Smethurst.
To date, more than one million dollars was been invested into the community in Lindsay’s name through a wide range of local and international initiatives.
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