Paralyzed Bronco giving his all in therapy

The steady footsteps PHILADELPHIA heard coming from the physiotherapy room at Philadelphia’s Shriners hospital belong to paralyzed Humboldt Broncos hockey player Ryan Straschnitzki.

“It’s just hard to keep my neck up,” he said during a session this week.

Straschnitzki clenched his fists as he took a stroll on the TheraSlide, a device that puts him in a harness while his feet touch a treadmill. Staff move his legs and feet forward to simulate walking.

“Wow, my legs are really red,” he said during a break. “I feel like I’ve just done one round of boxing.”

“Ready to go for Round 2?” asked his father Tom.

“Yeah,” Ryan said. Straschnitzki, 19, was paralyzed from the chest down after a crash involving the junior hockey team’s bus and a semi-trailer in April. Sixteen people died and 13 others, including Straschnitzki, were injured.

He has been in Philadelphia for about a month for therapy to improve his mobility and independence.

“He’s just driven and motivated,” said physiotherapist Christin Krey. “He did great today so our intention is to keep moving with that.

“The ultimate goal over time for him is to potentially see some improvements and some muscles that aren’t working right now or some sensory changes or some balance improvements.”

Straschnitzki seemed exhausted but excited by the new therapy.

“My legs feel great,” he said. “It’s like they’re tingling.”

Straschnitzki suffered a spinal injury, broken ribs, a broken collar bone, a punctured lung, and bleeding in his head and pelvis in the crash.

He got some good news after a meeting with his doctor.

“We talked about a discharge date depending on how things go this week. I’m hoping to go home next week,” he said, beaming.

“Good things happen when you work hard I guess. I’m pumped.”

Straschnitzki spent an hour this week lifting himself from his wheelchair to a raised platform, simulating moving into the seat of an SUV, which would allow him to hang out with his friends.

“I just want a normal way of life again ... doing ordinary things that I used to do — just in a different way.”

Straschnitzki said he’s thinking about getting a job, earning a business degree or pursuing a career in broadcasting.

He’s simply glad to be alive. “I’m not looking at this as a negative,” Straschnitzki said. “It’s just a different curve that maybe God has chosen for me, but I’m willing to accept the challenge and live my life to the fullest.”