My Why (part 7)

Drop the Puck (My Why part 7)

 

This is part seven of my story. Please scroll all the way to the bottom to start from the beginning. Each part has an approximate reading time of two-three minutes.

Now I must begin adjusting to my new life.  A life that has been altered physically and mentally. It truly is amazing how quickly life can change on a dime. I was guilty of taking most things for granted. I believe we are all guilty of this most of the time.

September turned out to be a pretty decent month. I was starting to make some slow and steady progress with my recovery. I ditched the cane and started to eat pretty much anything I wanted. There were frequent times that some food would get stuck in the back of my throat and cause me to cough uncontrollably for several minutes at a time. But with a little more effort and persistence, I would be able to swallow.

I was glad the summer was over; I’m not really a summer person to begin with. But after the stroke, there were some nerves that were damaged on my head and face that controlled the way temperature feels. I couldn’t find a way to remain cool at all and the summer heat felt like my head was in a pot of boiling water.

Autumn also signified hockey season was approaching for my team. Being pre-occupied by working with the team will certainly help me mentally. It will give me a purpose for my life that all but seemed to be pointless for the last six months.

A nice surprise for me was when a new player, Kyle Palmieri, agreed to stay with me during the school year. Instead of being at home by myself and worrying if I would wake up in the morning and no one would know, now I had some company and help. And why not? I had more than enough room at my place and we both benefitted. Kyle was there to look out for me, run to store and help me with anything I had asked. For him, who grew up in the suburbs (farm), it was a chance to be closer to the school and get acclimated to the city. This was truly a selfless act by such a young person who was wise beyond his years and had a good understanding of human nature well ahead of most kids his age.  You knew he was going places, both as a player and as a human being. He wound up being drafted in the first round into the National Hockey League in 2009 and fulfilling his dream of being a professional athlete.  Today he plays for the Anaheim Ducks and is an upcoming star in the NHL.

Time moved on, my double vision had subsided for the most part and I was getting healthier every passing day.  Getting the vision back was so important, now I would be able to drive and get some more independence back. I need to stop burdening friends and family.

Bailey and Casey

In February, I decided that I was going to treat myself to a nice present. Something I wanted my whole life but I wasn’t able to have. So one day Theresa Miller and I drove to “Amish Country” in Lancaster, Pennsylvania and met up with a dog breeder on his farm. We both picked out female yellow Labrador Retrievers. The lil pups, which weighed about 8 pounds, were later named Bailey and Casey.

Having Bailey become part of my family was one of the best things I’ve ever done in my life. Believe it or not, Bailey played such an enormous role in my continuing recovery. The unconditional love that only a dog can give is a tremendous effect on the human spirit. What she gave me was another purpose. I had to be there for Bailey at all times, to care for her, to love her. I was forced to get up and about to walk Bailey, play with her and clean up any mess she made. Like the time I walked into my home and saw every pillow torn to shreds, feathers still floating in the air in slow motion and her laying down with those sad puppy brown eyes, like “I didn’t do it”. There were quite a few of those moments.  Those are the moments that are irreplaceable and will be forever etched in my mind. Bailey was truly a godsend, she was an angel for me at the right time.  

That first season (2005-2006) back after the stroke came and went. In all accounts, we had a pretty good year; we finished ranked #11 in the state out of about 140 teams. I received an award as North Jersey Coach of the Year from The Newark Star Ledger. Mike Morreale, who was in charge of writing for the high school hockey department, had made the selection. Mike is a great guy and put so much effort into his high school sports coverage.  His work ultimately paid off; now he’s a staff writer for the National Hockey League and doing a wonderful job for them. My award was an absolute surprise; let’s be honest, it probably had more to do with my recovery thank hockey, but nonetheless I was extremely grateful. Thank you Mike Morreale. (follow mike on twitter)

The next year, 2006-2007 we reached the state championship for the second time in just three seasons. Unfortunately, we lost in a nail biter during the final two minutes. That was extremely disappointing and a tremendously tough pill to swallow. We finished with a #2 rank with a 20-5 record and In January of that season, we reached #1 rank in hockey for the first time in the school’s history.

Anthony and I were seriously considering stepping down from coaching after that season. It had nothing to do with the loss; it just felt like the time was right. Perhaps it was, but we continued coaching for another three seasons. After all the hard work, effort and extra time we put into building that program from the abyss since 1998, we were not welcomed back.

So I moved on from coaching hockey and wanted to get myself one hundred percent healthy.  We all know that’s not as easy as it sounds. And of course, I was about to face more adversity.

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