On Monday, April 11th, the former Boston University hockey player Travis Roy came to Hingham High School to give a speech open to the public. He began by discussing his upbringing in Maine and how he essentially started playing hockey right when he learned walk. While he entered high school with few goals or plans, he dreamt of being a professional hockey player, or at least continuing to play in college. His parents reminded him that hockey skills couldn’t be the only thing that would get him into a Division One school, so he began to focus on his academics more than ever.

Roy’s dream to play on the ice for a D1 school came true when he was recruited by Boston University and fell in love with the campus. He was chosen out of the few freshman on the team to play in one of BU’s games in the season of 1995. On the ice for the first time at college, Roy was focused and fueled by excitement. After eleven seconds of playing, however, his hockey dream was lost forever.

He was launched into the side of the rink at an angle that rendered him a quadriplegic with no feeling below his neck. His third and fourth vertebrae broke on impact with the side boards, causing irreparable nerve damage. He laid fully conscious on the cold ice, but knew that something was drastically wrong. Even as he slowly registered his new reality, he reassured his dad, who was leaning over him, that he had already made it.
After months in the hospital losing weight, sick, and unable to move, Roy decided to return to Boston University and work toward a communications degree. But nothing was the same. He needed somebody else to do everything physical for him, since he had only regained slight movement in his right arm. The first time Roy found a table for lunch in a dining hall, nobody took a seat with him. It was a drastic change from the lively social life he had enjoyed throughout high school. He struggled to accept his new lifestyle and to get through college.

Listening to his speech on Monday, it was evident to me that Travis Roy had made a full recovery in many ways. Though he remains a quadriplegic, he is using his skills in communication to teach people to accept themselves and embrace others. He encourages people to not steer away from those who might be different or unique, but rather learn from them. Roy spoke of the importance of patience and love in order to lead a fulfilling life. I’m sure I can speak for the whole audience in saying that Roy’s message is inspiring.