On episode 148 I am delighted to be joined Matthew Bell. An accomplished international player Matthew won over 100 caps for Ireland but experienced heartbreak as he was not selected to travel to the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio. At 26 years of age while pursuing his 3rd season of professional hockey in Germany, Matthew was diagnosed with a brain tumour the size of three golf balls. He underwent immediate intervention which prevented Matthew from experiencing a fatal brain haemorrhage. He was later transferred by air ambulance back to Northern Ireland to complete chemotherapy, radiotherapy. Matthew has 5 surgeries in 6 weeks and was bed bound as he had to learn to walk, talk, and eat again. During his 6 months in hospital he dreamt of setting back out on the pitch with his local club, Bambridge. While many including his father wondered would he ever run again, Matthew’s determination prevailed and on April 20th 2021, Matthew walked back onto the hockey pitch for his first training session in 587 days. Matthew is back competing at local level with his club and has recently gotten engaged to his Fiancé Jane. During his recovery he came across Clodagh Dunlop, a police officer who suffered a brain stem stroke. Matthew reached out to Clodagh on Instagram and she sent him his book. This inspired Matthew to document his own journey and last year he released his memoir Second Chances, and has kindly donated all proceeds to @friends_of_the_cancer_centre   

Matthew’s story was brought to my attention by a close friend in late 2020 and I was delighted to connect with him during the launch of his book last year. His story is inspiring and a testament to his resilience & attitude. Wishing Matthew continued success on and off the hockey field. You can buy his book here: https://excaliburpress.co.uk/product/second-chances-by-matthew-bell/ 

Follow Matthew on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/mbell45/

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Recorded using Samson Q2 microphone, Edited using GarageBand

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