Always Keep Going

Read this story for inspiration and remember it when you feel your goals are out of reach, life is stacking up against you and you don't know if you can beat the odds. As someone who came degrees from being paralyzed in a 25 foot fall, I thank God everyday and remember how fortunate those of us are who have full use of our bodies

Note: Travis Roy is NOT Patrick Roy's son.

-Robin

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Sixteen years ago, rising hockey star Travis Roy a stepped onto the ice, realizing his dream of playing on a Division 1 hockey team, one of his goals in an ever-evolving list of goal-setting he began in high school.

But life for the Boston University freshman changed 11 seconds into his first college hockey game when a crash into the boards left him paralyzed from the neck down.

Yesterday, five days shy of the anniversary of that fateful night, Roy reached out to roughly 600 students across seven grades at Rockport High and Middle School to share his story, both heartbreaking and heartwarming.

"His story was inspirational," said freshman Rachel Sternlicht. "It was so beautiful. I kind of teared up at points because here is this guy that is disabled like that and yet he could keep going in his life."

Both teachers and students agreed that Roy was an example to all about how to keep moving forward in the face of the unexpected.

Roy, whose book is titled "Eleven Seconds," talked to the students about the goals and choices he made both before and after his accident on Oct. 20, 1995. He is no stranger to hard work and perseverance.

He told the students that, as a high school student, he wrote his goals and sealed them in an envelope, which he placed in his drawer to be opened at a later date. He learned from his father that, to achieve his goal of Division 1 college hockey, he would have to earn good grades. That would require more than the usual effort because he had a reading disability, a form of dyslexia. He also wanted to earn 1,000 on his SATs, which he did after five attempts.

"What are your goals?" he asked the students. "I don't know how to stay motivated except by setting goals and writing them down."

The audience first watched a four-minute video that showed the all-American life of the boy who grew up in Maine, and skated since he was 20 months old. As he grew, he said that, most of all, he wanted to be a hockey player. Then it was a fast forward to that first college hockey game, in which he was among the chosen freshmen selected to play. As he lay on the ice after the freak accident, his words to his father became newspaper headlines —- "Dad, I'm in big trouble."

He also told his dad "I made it," meaning he did achieve his dream of college hockey.

"I proved this little kid from Yarmouth, Maine, had beaten the odds," he said.

But he must also have known how drastically he would have to change his goals to meet his new circumstance.

He recalled his months in the hospital, at first on a ventilator, and looking up at the ceiling tiles.

"I wondered if this was going to be the rest of my life," he said.

Roy, now 34, talked about acceptance, and the importance of treating others with respect.

"One of the biggest challenges after the accident was just trying to fit in. I wanted people to see I was still the same Travis Roy," he told the students who sat in a hushed silence. "When you meet someone different, acknowledge them, look them in the eye and say hello. Have compassion."

"I know it's a cliche, but a positive attitude will take you farther in life than anything. It always seems the optimistic person is more likely to succeed," he said, admitting that he didn't always have that kind of positive attitude.

"I would learn to realize that I had far more living as a quadriplegic than I ever thought possible," he said. "I still had the same values that made me successful."

He talked about having love, respect and pride.

In response to questions, he told students he returned to school 10 months after the accident. He studied communications.

Asked what would be the first thing he would do if he could move, he told the students he would first hug his mother, his father, his sister and his good friends that supported him.

When asked if he had any regrets, he replied that he had no major regrets.

"But perhaps I could have been nicer or extended myself to someone at certain times," he said.

When asked what he missed most about hockey, he replied the thrill of victory or the elation that comes after scoring a goal.

"I also miss what I hated — the conditioning," he told the group, which included many athletes.

Some students were interested in his physical condition.

"I can't feel the shoes on my feet. I can't feel the watch on my wrist and I can't feel the chair I'm sitting on," he said. "I sit in this chair from 7:30 a.m. to 10 p.m." He demonstrated how the wheelchair changes position to help his body avoid pressure sores.

Yesterday's school program grew out of an effort by a second-year English teacher, Julianne Passeri, who teaches seventh-graders.

"I was trying to find something they would enjoy reading, that would engage them and make them want to finish the book," she said.

"Last year, my most reluctant reader mentioned his favorite book was 'Eleven Seconds' and it was my favorite book since I was 15," she recalled. "I couldn't get this kid to read a chapter so I thought we were on to something. When he and I were telling the class about the book, the kids were on the edge of their seats."

With the support of the principal and fellow teachers, the book become part of the curriculum and, with parents' help, some books were donated to the school.

Meanwhile, Passeri embarked on a mission to bring Roy to the school. With the help of the Friends of Rockport Athletics, the Rockport PTO, and many phone calls, she succeeded.

"I'm just in awe that he was actually here," said Passeri.

"It was an experience," she said. "He is just an amazing person and such a nice guy. It would be so easy for someone to be negative, but he is so positive about everything."

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Note: This was originally posted by Gail McCarthy at the Gloucester Daily Times online