'You never know when'

By Neil Zolot / Correspondent

Travis Roy does not project the same presence as other speakers who might have addressed the crowd of 250 people that gathered in the high school cafeteria Saturday night for a spaghetti dinner sponsored by the Swampscott Rotary and High School Interact clubs. The quadriplegic, former Boston University hockey player speaks softly from his wheelchair, but commanded the quiet attention of those present.

Roy elicits sympathy but not pity, primarily because his message is one of perseverance and accomplishment. Despite being severely injured a mere 11 seconds into his first shift on the BU hockey team in 1995, Roy did realize his long-time goal of making the team. "For those 11 seconds I made it," he said proudly.

Being a hockey player wasn't Roy's only goal. Knowing he would need good grades to go to BU, he added academics to his goals. "Hockey was fun, but I always knew academics would take me the furthest," he said

Dealing with the aftermath of the accident was, of course, Roy's biggest challenge. "The toughest part was trying to figure out who I was again," he said. "I was kind of the same person, but I wasn't a hockey player anymore. I realized I was the same person because of my values."

The accident forced Roy to reassess everything. "There are times you need to reassess goals; you never know when," he said. His new goal is to live independently, and he has been able to do so through insurance benefits and physical rehabilitation. An ability to move one arm was discovered during the early stages of Roy's rehab, and he has strengthened it to the point where he can operate his wheelchair, turn on lights and perform other tasks everyone else takes for granted. "Little things that make life easier," Roy described them. "To satisfy an itch is a nice thing. You have no idea."

The September following the accident he returned to college to major in communications. He found the first year difficult socially as well as physically. "That first year I kind of kept my head down," he remembered. "Eventually, I learned to lift my head and smile."

Amazingly, no bitterness comes through from Roy. "It was a fluke accident," he said. "You never know how it's going to happen, and you can't live your life trying to avoid it." He tries to balance the bad things in life with the good, and he told his audience, "Make sure you do things that make you happy."

Most of Roy's current activity involves the Travis Roy Foundation, established in 1997 to help raise funds for spinal cord injury research and victims. "After the accident, I had a tremendous amount of support," he said. "My family wanted to find a way to return the goodwill."

Roy seemed to get a kick out of speaking in Swampscott since he lived for a short time on Bristol Avenue before his father, Lee, moved the family to Yarmouth, Maine, and his grandparents, the late Joseph and Lois Roy, now 86, both taught at the high school. "It's nice to be here," he said. "I have a long history here."

Rotary President Debra Goldberg felt the evening was a success from Roy's talk to the proceeds to fund scholarships and buy large print books for the high school library. "He has a lot of wisdom for a young man," she said.

Interact Club leader 16-year-old junior Hana Merkle found Roy inspirational. "It's impressive how far he has been able to come in such a short time," she said. "I'm happy we were able to have him."

"He is quite inspirational," agreed hockey coach Gino Faia, his team in tow. "We wanted to get the kids here, so they could see sports are not the most important things in life and not to take things for granted. So they can see there are other things in life and how you need to set goals."

- January 16, 2003 -