BY SCOTT HUNTER HADDOW
Michael Medakovic's broken neck didn't crush
his dreams or his desire to compete in sports.
Last January, at the age of 16, Medakovic was
playing for the Lo-Ellen Park Knights varsity hockey team when
a serious accident occurred.
During a game against St. Benedict's,
Medakovic charged into a player to distribute a routine body
check.
Medakovic missed his opponent and crashed
head first into the boards.
For minutes, he lay stunned on the ice
looking up at the arena roof. Although he didn't realize it,
Medakovic had broken the C1 and C5 vertebrae in his neck.
"I had a ringing in my head," said Medakovic.
"I got up under my own power, changed and watched the rest of
the game from the stands. I went home, hurting a bit, but I had
no idea that I had broken my neck. I thought I had just pulled
a muscle."
Two days later he went to see a chiropractor
who did tests and took a few X-rays.
"The chiropractor called and told my mom to
get me to the hospital because I had a broken neck," said
Medakovic.
"I was surprised for sure. We wrapped a towel
around my neck to keep it from moving."
The doctors confirmed the bad news to
Medakovic.
"They said I was very lucky I wasn't
paralyzed. They said even with the slightest movement, I could
have been paralyzed.
"When the bones broke, they didn't pinch any
nerves, so that's why I wasn't paralyzed right away. I do
consider myself to be lucky. It was just an
accident that happened."
Although he didn't need surgery, Medakovic
had to wear supportive equipment known as a halo.
"I had to wear a hard vest over my upper body
with four bars attached to it," said Medakovic. "Two bars in
the front and two bars in the back were attached to a crown
that went around my head. Then I had four screws put into my
skull to stabilize my neck. I was in that set up for three
months afterwards, and I couldn't do anything at all. It was
tough."
For the next three months, Medakovic had to
visit the doctors once a week to have the screws adjusted. The
screws were bored into his skull to a
depth of about one centimetre. He still has
the scars from the holes they made.
"The whole thing didn't really bother me,"
said Medakovic. "I still went to school and friends came over
to visit, but it did suck."
There was one time when the situation tested
Medakovic's strength.
"At one point the right screw in the front
came loose," said Medakovic. "They had to manually screw it in
with a screwdriver. My head wasn't frozen, and it was one of
the most painful things I have ever experienced. I could
literally feel the screw going into my skull."
In April of 2004, the halo came off.
"It was a big relief to get it off," said
Medakovic. "I still couldn't do anything. I had to build up my
neck strength and wear a soft collar for a month. I didn't have
to do physiotherapy, just neck stretches."
When the 2004-05 high school season started
up, Medakovic couldn't keep his competitive spirit bottled up.
He needed to compete, but the doctors had told him he would
have to avoid contact to the top of his head.
"My neck is straight now," said Medakovic.
"Usually your neck is curved. If I get hit on the top of my
head, my neck will be crushed."
So, instead of jumping back into the
physically intense game of hockey, Medakovic turned his sights
to the senior boy's basketball team.
He made the team, and has been an inspiration
ever since. The squad is one of the top three teams competing
for the city championship this year.
"Mike's a hard worker and one of our best
rebounders," said Knights' basketball head coach Mark
Bennett.
"If you watch him play, you would never know
he sustained that kind of an injury because he's aggressive out
there. He's doing surprisingly well."
For Medakovic, the feeling he gets competing
for glory is rewarding enough for him, and knows his friends
and family helped him get back to where he loves to be.
"It definitely feels great to play sports
again," said Medakovic. "I like to compete and play sports.
It's what I live for. My family and friends were my inspiration
throughout my injury."
Pat Belanger, program leader for physical
education at Lo-Ellen is amazed at Medakovic's remarkable come
back.
"Just for him to come back to any type of
sports after the injury he sustained is a credit to him."