Supporting Jake’s quest to walk again

Oct. 15 was “Jake Thibeault Day” at all four schools in the Ayer Shirley Regional School District, which featured a T-shirt fundraiser for the partially paralyzed hockey player that netted $7,000.

Staff and faculty members sold “TBO Tough” T-shirts and wore them to show support for Thibeault, whose dad, Mike Thibeault, is the district’s technical director.

Proceeds went to the Thibeault family to help with expenses.

Matt Hoeske, who owns a printing firm in Fitchburg, provided the designed shirts at cost.

Jake, 18, a student at Milton Academy, suffered severe spinal cord injuries in a hockey game over Labor Day weekend. Mike Thibeault told a Nashoba Valley Voice reporter in an interview last month that Jake has lost feeling and movement below the waist.

But his dad said Jake is determined to walk again.

Students who had purchased the T-shirts were asked to wear them to school that day, while others donned Jake’s blue and orange school colors.

As an example of Jake’s strength and spirit, Thibeault described one of his son’s rehab routines on a challenging piece of equipment he first used after arriving at Spaulding Rehab Center in Boston.

The machine positions him upright and allows him to “walk,” Mike Thibeault said. Typically used later in the rehab process, if at all, Jake tackled it early on, logging nearly 2 miles in a single session.

Mike Thibeault didn’t mention the financial burden facing the Fitchburg family, only that the school district has been supportive and that he wasn’t worried about his job.

Fortunately, a local youth-hockey network rallied around the Thibeault family immediately after the accident.

A GoFundMe campaign put together by Littleton/ Bromfield hockey head coach Kevin Lizotte easily reached its lofty goal of $250,000 in just over 24 hours. The money will go toward medical and rehab costs, as well as house renovations.

The family’s Fitchburg residence will need customizing for Jake when he comes home, Thibeault said, adding that he’s fortunate to have friends in the building trades who can help.

Greg Hill, host of WEEIRadio’s morning show, also started a fundraiser for Jake through the Greg Hill Foundation. The organization vowed to match up to $5,000, which was reached within the first few hours of the campaign. In no time, donations had exceeded $32,000.

Jake has also received messages of support from near and far, including family and friends, as well as other prep schools and junior hockey teams.

The elder Thibeault said his son has fed off all the encouragement. It “inspired Jake to keep working as hard.” Jake spends 3 to 5 hours a day on occupational and physical therapy.

And perhaps Jake can take some comfort in the efforts of another area high-school hockey player trying to recover from a similar paralyzing injury.

A. J. Quetta, a member of the Bishop Feehan hockey team, suffered a spinal-cord injury when he crashed head-first into the boards during a game against Pope Francis in West Springfield on Jan. 26.

He was immediately rushed to Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, and days later, transferred to Massachusetts General Hospital.

He then went to Shepherd Rehabilitation Center in Atlanta on Feb. 16. Paralyzed from the chest down, he returned to his home in North Providence, R.I., and continues rehabbing at Journey Forward in Canton.

The Thibeault family obviously realizes there’s no sugar-coating Jake’s situation.

But given the amazing support system that’s galvanized behind Jake and his family, we wouldn’t discount his chances of walking out the Spaulding Rehab Center on his own one day.