WALK AGAIN, STRASCHINITZKI
WORKED HARD.
AT A HOCKEY RINK OUTSIDE
CALGARY, RYAN SKATES
EFFORTLESSLY ONTO THE ICE.
IT WAS HIS FIRST DAY LEARNING TO
PLAY SLEDGE HOCKEY, A SPORT
DESIGNED FOR PEOPLE WITH
PHYSICAL DISABILITY.
FOR RYAN, THIS DAY HAS BEEN A
DREAM OF HIS SINCE LEARNING HE
WAS PARALYZED FROM THE CHEST
DOWN.
I KNEW I HAD TO GET ON THE
ICE.
I KNEW MY LEGS WOULD.
WORK FOR HOWEVER LONG BUT BEING
ON THE ICE IS AMAZING.
Reporter: HE WAS PLAYING WITH
A TEAM IN HUMBOLDT, CANADA.
HIS TEAM WAS TRAVELING TO A
NEARBY TOWN.
ALL I REMEMBER IS THE BUS
DRIVER SCREAMING AND I BLACKED
OUT FROM THERE AND WOKE UP
LOOKING AET THE SEMITRUCK AND
THE MAYHEM.
FIRST THING TO DO WAS GET UP AND
HELP MY TEAMMATES AND BROTHERS
AND I COULDN'T MOVE.
DID YOU KNOW THERE WAS
SOMETHING SERIOUSLY WRONG?
YEAH.
I WAS IN PAIN AND THE ONLY THING
I COULD DO WAS SCREAM FOR HELP.
I HAD BROKEN RIBS AND A
PUNCTURED LUNG.
16 OF THE 29 PEOPLE ON BOARD
WERE KILLED IN THE CRASH.
A FEW DAYS LATER RYAN'S DAD TOLD
"CBS THIS MORNING" ABOUT THE
MOMENT HIS SON FOUND OUT THAT HE
MIGHT NEVER WALK AGAIN.
WHEN THEY TOLD US, RYAN JUST
LOOKED AT US AND GOES, DAD,
OLYMPIC SLEDGE HOCKEY AND GET US
TO THE GOLD.
ARE YOU KIDDING ME?
NO.
I COULDN'T FALL APART THERE, BUT
THAT KID IS AMAZING.
Reporter: IT T ROAD BACK HAS
BEEN DIFFICULT.
HE SUFFERED BROKEN RIBS, SERIOUS
HEAD TRAUMA, A LACERATED SPLEEN
AND SHATTERED VERTEBRA.
AFTER A SIX-HOUR SURGERY IN
CANADA, RYAN WAS FLOWN TO
SHRINE'RE'S HOSPITAL IN
PHILADELPHIA WHERE THEY
SPECIALIZE IN SPINAL CORD
INJURY.
I KEEP MY TEAMMATES IN MY
HEART AND EVERY DAY I SET NEW
GOALS AND CHALLENGES AND REMIND
MYSELF IT I'M DOING IT FOR THEM.
Reporter: THE DOCTOR'S FIRST
PRIORITY WAS TO HELP HIM ADJUST
HIS TIME IN A WHEELCHAIR.
THEN HE BEGAN AN INTENSIVE
PROGRAM OF REHABILITATION WHICH
INCLUDED TIME IN THE WATER, ON
THE TREADMILL, AND EVEN UPPER
BODY WORKOUTS.
THERE'S LOTS OF MUSCLE
STRENGTHENING BECAUSE MY LEFT
SIDE WAS WEAKER THAN MY RIGHT.
IT'S DOING WEIGHT TRAINING.
Reporter: LESS THAN A MONTH
NOT BEING ABLE TO MOVE, HE WAS
ABLE TO JOIN HIS TEAMMATES FOR A
REUNION.
SHORTLY AFTER, HE WAS A GUEST OF
THE PHILADELPHIA FLYERS AT THEIR
TRAINING FACILITY.
NOW RYAN IS BACK PLAYING THE
SPORT HE LOVES, DOING WHAT HE
LOVES NATURALLY, MOVING FORWARD
IN BODY AND SPIRIT.
