Anyone who needs an example of courage and determination need look no further than Olds resident Graysen Cameron.
Cameron was one of 13 people injured on April 6, 2018, when a semi trailer collided with a bus carrying members of the Humboldt Broncos and others on their way to a playoff game about 250 kilometres northeast of Saskatoon. Sixteen people, including several of Cameron's teammates, were killed in that crash.
Cameron suffered a back injury. Three of his vertebrae had to be fused.
It was felt he could never play hockey again.
For a while, he seemed to accept that verdict. Last year he accepted a job as an assistant coach with the AAA midget Red Deer Optimist Chiefs, a team he had played for from 2015 to 2017 before joining the Broncos.
But the dream to play top-level hockey again was just too strong.
So in late August, he'll try out for the Humboldt Broncos junior A hockey team again.
He's doing everything he can to make it. He's spent countless hours working out with Calgary Flames trainers, rebuilding his body to be in the best possible shape it can be.
And in a test to see whether he still had the mobility he needed, he played lacrosse once again, a game he played in previous years. All went well.
He's confident he can take a hit too.
So, come late August, Cameron will give it his best shot.
It's a pivotal year for him. Junior hockey players age out after 20 years of age.
But if anybody can buck the odds and make it, it's Graysen Cameron.
We're all pulling for him.
