FITCHBURG — Jake Thibeault has become a fan of inspirational quotes.
In his daily battle against paralysis, they’re a way to remain driven.
“No quit.” “No bad days.”
They’re a constant reminder to keep working and to look for the positive each and every day. It’s been something the Fitchburg native has focused on since an on-ice collision in 2021 left him unable to walk.
The latest quote stuck in Thibeault’s mind held extra meaning to him during Saturday’s fifth annual Hockey Day in the Burg, a yearly hockey bill at the Wallace Civic Center aimed at raising money for Thibeault’s rehabilitation costs.
“I got a quote sent to me the other day: what we do in the present now helps in the future. Each year when I come back here, it’s an unbelievable day with the hockey community and I’m able to have the conversations to let people know that I’m making progress, even if it’s not always easy to see,” he said. “It’s a chance to show people what they’ve meant to and help me accomplish in my battle with paralysis while living the fullest life I can.
“This never gets old and it never will.”
Saturday’s event saw four games on the Fitchburg ice, starting with the first-ever girls’ hockey contest on a Hockey Day in the Burg slate as Leominster’s co-op program hosted Algonquin Regional. A rivalry clash between Lunenburg/Ayer-Shirley and Littleton followed, with Fitchburg State squaring off with Rivier in a MASCAC tilt after that. The day’s on-ice action came to a close with crosstown rivals Monty Tech and St. Bernard’s playing the nightcap.
“I love seeing the community come together on days like this,” Thibeault said. “There’s friends, family, people I talk to all the time and people I talk to once a year. And guys like (Fitchburg State head coach Dean Fuller and Littleton head coach Kevin Lizotte) really basically are my family, having known them for so long and growing up with them around, so it’s amazing to be able to support them while they support me.
“I want to reach a point someday where I can give back to everyone as much as they’ve given me and that’s a lot.”
Thibeault had played for the then-Fitchburg/Monty Tech program in high school before heading to Milton Academy. He was preparing to play at Babson College before his accident on Labor Day weekend in 2021.
Since then, he’s been determined to walk again.
“One of the first thing I said to my doctor after it happened was ‘What do I have to do to beat this?’ It’s just the way I’ve always been; in hockey, you take 100 shots and you get better,” Thibeault said. “Some days, you notice the improvement more than others and that’s how it is with paralysis as well. There are days where I move forward in centimeters and other days when the progress is much easier to see.”
A senior at Babson, Thibeault was never able to reach his goal of playing collegiate hockey. As he makes progress toward standing on his own and eventually walking, he looks at the bright side of things with a laugh.
“I joke with my friends all the time that I have four years of college eligibility left,” he said with a smile, “You never know.”
Original article
Comments