In only seven weeks, Jesse Martin will graduate from the University of Denver.

The future didn’t always seem so bright for the Pioneer hockey player, who suffered three breaks to his C-2 vertebrae in his neck on Oct. 30 when he was blindside hit by North Dakota’s Brad Malone in Grand Forks, N.D.

“I was coming to grips with being a quadriplegic,” said Martin, who recently shared his memories of that fateful day. “The doctors in North Dakota were shocked that I was alive. I had no feeling in my extremities, and then my feet started twitching 15 or 20 minutes later, and they [the doctors] couldn’t believe that I had gotten feeling back.”

According to his speech at a TEDxDU event back in January, only two percent of people who sustain his injury survive.

Martin, a senior from Edmonton, Alberta, says that he wasn’t able to control his feet from twitching, but about an hour later he was able to gain control, something that he cites as a miracle.

“Whatever you believe in, whether it’s luck, faith—it was miracle for me,” said Martin of his long road to recovery that began the morning of following, and it continues today.

He said that he still has no sensation in either hand as well as his left arm, and although his last diagnosis from doctor’s said he couldn’t be heeling any better, Martin will not know if he has fully recovered until the one year anniversary of the hit.

On the night of the Oct. 30, Martin was airlifted from nearby Altru Hostpital in Grand Forks to Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis.

Martin remembers the mornings following the hit, where he had to be moved by hospital staff in Minneapolis for 11 days because he was unable to walk. He said he was able to make it through that rough with the support of his family, his girlfriend, her family and his teammates.

“Waking up everyday and having my family there gave me the extra motivation to keep pushing and keep striving for more,” said Martin. “And not a day went by where I didn’t hear from my teammates. I give credit to everyone for my speedy recovery.”

In addition to his family and his teammates, Martin was overcome by the amount of support the DU hockey community gave to him in not only the weeks that followed, but the months that followed.

“The support was overwhelming. I knew we had great fans, but really had no idea until the injury happened,” said Martin who received an influx of pictures, cards, emails and other get-well items in Minneapolis and then at Craig Hospital in Denver, where he spent a majority of his time recovering.

“It was non-stop throughout and it didn’t let up for a long time, and that really meant the world to me—knowing that you have that type of support gives you the extra motivation when your having a down day.”

Martin recalls two specific, non-hockey moments as defining challenges on his road back to a normal life.

The first being the TEDxDU speech, where he recalls being very nervous, yet able to complete the speech despite being consumed by strong stir of emotions.

“I pushed myself, and overcame that fear, and I am just so happy to have had that opportunity,” said Martin.

In addition to that moment, Martin says he was extremely proud that he didn’t fall behind academically despite the hit, which will allow him to graduate on time in June. Martin is currently a real estate and construction management major.

Taking nothing for granted

 As much as Martin’s story is a personal triumph about an individual overcoming tremendous struggles, it’s very much a story based on hockey, the sport that sidelined Martin and altered his life irreversibly.

When he returned to the Pioneers as a spectator in January he wanted to instill a single message in all of his teammates—hockey is a privilege and no day on the ice should be taken for granted.

“When Jesse came back he spoke up every now and then, when he wanted to really, but whenever he spoke he inspired us and was a really good motivator,” said team captain and fellow senior Kyle Ostrow, who played with Martin the past four seasons. “In between periods at the Final Five and then at the NCAA’s he reminded us about everything, saying that he didn’t want us to take anything for granted. We went back on this ice with that message.”

The postseason wasn’t the only time that Martin stood as a symbol for inspiration for a Pioneer team that earned several come-from-behind victories in between the months of November and February.

In the game where Martin was injured, the Pioneers rallied to win 3-0 after being dominated until the 11:06 mark in the second period, which was when Martin was served his fatal blow.

“I was on the ice, so I didn’t see the hit,” Ostrow remembered. “I didn’t think the worst, maybe a concussion or something like that, and in between the second and third period we still didn’t know what had exactly happened, but there were rally cries in the locker room “let’s go out and win this game for Jesse.”

It wasn’t until after the game that Ostrow and the rest of the Pioneers found out the seriousness of the injury, which stirred emotions on every player in the locker room.

“It felt like we lost,” said Ostrow.

In the month that followed Martin underwent rehab in Minnesota before finally coming back out to Denver, where he was welcomed by all his teammates at Craig Hospital.

Ostrow remembers a three-hour long conversation-taking place in which Martin was acting himself, breaking the tension with sarcastic cracks and jokes.

“It was great to see him like that,” said Ostrow, who remembers hanging with Martin on his very first day at DU as an incoming freshman in the dorms, where the two became close friends.

“We are very fortunate to have him with us, and being with him throughout these past four years as been an awesome experience,” said Ostrow.

Martin attended every game upon his return, and made almost every practice, he says. He gave advice here and there, helping out his teammates daily, which he said meant a great deal to him.

He rallied the team to victory on Feb. 5 against CC after the team had falled behind 2-0 within the game’s first minutes. Martin stepped out onto the ice and thanked everyone for their support.

“I really wanted to tell everyone how thankful I was of their support, and also how blessed we all are,” said Martin. “Hockey is a privilege and I hope that everyone gets that extra bit of enjoyment knowing that. They saw [through me] how quickly everything in life can change.”

After the final game of the season, a 6-1 loss to UND in the NCAA Midwest Regional Final, Martin spoke to teammates for the last time, assuring them he was proud of everything they accomplished.

“Obviously it was disappointing to lose, it was some of our last games as a Pioneer, but that is something to be proud of, and that’s why it hurt so much for every senior to end their careers here,” said Martin. “We can leave, and be proud of what we accomplished.”

 

Moving past ‘suffering’

 

Martin called Malone on Oct. 31, the day after the controversial hit. Martin says he made the call to ease Malone’s pain, but also as a way to do deal with his own suffering.

“I don’t remember too much about the phone call, but heard he was having a hard time and I thought there was no point in him to suffer,” said Martin. “My real goal was to ease the process for him, and I didn’t want us to both suffer from what had happened, and hopefully move past it.”

Although Malone and Martin’s relationship hasn’t exactly gone as well as a Hollywood script with Malone only reaching out to Martin once, through text about a month ago, Martin says he doesn’t hold any grudge against Malone.

While Martin continues to recover from the tragedy, he continues to be a symbol of inspiration for an entire hockey community of fans, players and coaches, which ironically inspired his incredible recovery.

The story hasn’t come full circle yet, but when Martin graduates from DU this spring, and walks up to receive his diploma, it will be nothing short of a miracle.