All right. It means it's recording.
Ryan's room -- 1019 -- pretty funny because he was number 10.
It's May 7th.
Just after 8:35.
On the agenda today:
I got physio and maybe a couple of visitors
but we'll let you know how it goes on during the day.
It's been one month since the Broncos crash.
If you feel like you can let go and bring one hand onto your legs.
Ryan Straschnitzki is just beginning his long therapy regimen.
Today a seemingly simple task takes immense effort.
Reach to my ankles? Yeah.
You're really flexible.
Can you pick that leg up and cross your ankles?
Good.
So this leg, you can see if you had a pair of shorts or something like that.
you got your foot free, so you can hook it over there.
Okay. Then bring it back and try the other way?
Yeah.
Okay. Ah, it's heavy.
Legs are really heavy.
Ryan was thrown from the team bus.
His spinal injury was to his mid back,
paralyzing his legs and his trunk
from the mid chest down.
Is this your first time doing this with a sock?
Yeah.
Jesus.
Even this this much effort fatigues him
Do you want a pillow?
Ah no, I'm okay.
You made mom cry, way to go buddy.
The horrifying crash between the hockey team's bus
and a transport truck changed 30 lives forever.
15 Broncos players and staff died along with the bus driver.
The truck driver faces multiple charges of manslaughter.
Ryan and 12 of his teammates survived
but they are left foraging through the trauma .
We first got to know Ryan through his mom Michelle
less than 48 hours after the crash.
A better than average chance that he won't play hockey again
possibly even walk. We're not sure.
Nice to meet you. Finally.
We caught up with Ryan himself a few weeks later
after he was transferred to Foothills Medical Center in Calgary.
What have been some of the most difficult moments for you?
Like not being able to....
Sorry.
It's okay.
If it's too tough, don't worry.
Just not being able to go to the funerals.
It's May 14th. New week, more physio and we'll see how the day goes.
Six weeks into recovery, Ryan is working
on his upper body and core strength.
Even just to roll over and sit up.
Balance is tricky.
Dad Tom is recording every development.
Turn the camera off. [laughs]
Ryan was the firstborn to Michelle and Tom.
Twins Jett and Jaden followed and
then baby Connor.
Ryan worked his way up the hockey ladder.
Bantam then midget, triple A with the LaDuke Oil Kings
before he joined the Broncos last year
It's May 18th today have a couple physio sessions.
Erica, my girlfriend arrived last night. Yeah she's
staying for the long weekend.
Ryan met Erica Burns from Montmartre, Saskatchewan
just two months before the crash.
A teammate introduced them.
On that horrible night she got to the hospital
before his parents and she's been loyal ever since.
Still the two of them are now
embarking on a relationship
neither could have ever imagined.
It's now the end of May, Ryan's parents are
packing him up at the hospital.
They've taken an offer from the Shriners charity
to go to a renowned rehab hospital in Philadelphia.
All paid.
The family thinks he can progress faster there.
They're still holding out hope he
might regain sensation in his legs maybe
even walk again.
The Shriners Hospital in Philadelphia
becomes Ryan's new training camp
full-time including a first session in
the pain but that sense of
weightlessness feels like freedom the
marriage going under this time buddy
even if he's afraid he'll sink
Ryan's on a mission today the exercise
with physiotherapist Kristin Cray is
falling backwards what to do now what so
here hold the friends in the frame here
you'll need to instruct people to help
him get up right and it's not easy I
like to say that working on the
fundamentals and the foundation of
transfers and sitting balance and
rolling just rolling over from left to
right and then okay I'm on my side how
do I sit up and now in your wheelchair
if you can push across the linoleum
surface of the hospital but can you push
across the sidewalk that is not level
and has bumps okay now push forward push
forward you've described him others have
as a star student yeah some respects
have you seen frustration every once in
a while and he channels it in different
ways where he'll just be quiet about
something or he's just like let me do
that again
there better not be a 6-inch curve
anywhere else did you see him give up
never this week or next week you don't
change them after an injury they are the
same person they were before the injury
and so you see that carry through in the
rehab and their activities beyond the
hospital setting part of the challenge
is to avoid complete atrophy of leg
muscles so to encourage movement they
need to manipulate his legs putting him
first in a harness in preparation for a
treadmill
as Kristen Kray and her team simulate a
walking movement brian watches himself
standing upright for the first time
since the crash what did it feel like
today on that treadmill Oh cereal I mean
just being able to see yourself walk
again it's pretty cool I mean I tried my
best to do what I could try to move my
legs but I mean they dated it for me and
hopefully it'll help in the long run
when you came down here what was your
hope just to be more independent you
know obviously you don't have to guy
wants to walk again and but I was just
coming here hoping to get stronger it's
being able to adapt to new way of life
joining us on stage right now the
Humboldt Broncos motivating Ryne all
this time was a trip to the NHL Awards
in Las Vegas a physical and mental
challenge it was the first time he'd
seen most of the surviving Broncos since
those critical days in hospital
Thanks fantastic it's like being in the
locker room again it's almost like time
froze and you just enjoy the moment did
you cry now I can't kind of find the
guys but no I was definitely emotional
and was a good time so did you talk did
you oh yeah we talked to a and if
everything you know how things were
going with their plan is for the future
I know nobody couldn't really experience
what we experienced them we know each
other too well so it's just good to lean
on them
the attention doesn't stop with vegas
the broncos touched so many
internationally in philadelphia rhine
becomes a bit of a local celebrity
the Phillies honor him as their special
guest take a video moment it's all very
heady private or exciting and unexpected
but when the spotlight goes away there
are the unavoidable reminders of loss
tom is Ryan's chief cheerleader council
and life coach gets me is just looking
at him what he used to be able to do
three months ago - what he can't do now
it kind of hits me on that one but then
I just look forward and go let's work a
different corner work a different path
and we can get through it what
frustrates staring at his legs and
trying to make a move but they can't
move oh and what really frustrates him
is not being able to move his core and
well deep down we know it's the people
that he lost as teammates and all that
but still still Oya every day really
yeah
it's now early July time to go home but
not before a visit to Philadelphia's
iconic monument to fighting back the
rocky steps the story of how the
underdog boxer Rocky Balboa fought his
way up is not lost on Ryan
lots of ruts in those paving stones
there buddy yeah I don't know here's our
test I guess yeah Brian probably
imagined tearing up here two steps at a
time
once it's different now in July Ryan
comes back to Alberta on a commercial
flight moving easily now in his
wheelchair
the hometown media is waiting
but Ryan can't go home yet the family
home he grew up in is waiting but it
needs a major renovation to make it
accessible what's this that's great
somebody made that from all the sticks
they put around the hockey rink just up
here that's cool and then he dropped it
off yes hockey house everywhere this is
hockey house did you push Ryan in talki
um started him and learned to skate and
then he hated it and then we got him
into hockey hated it and then slowly
started to like it I said okay let's go
any regrets
cuz hockey teaches ya life did you see a
team work teaches you what the world's
gonna be like and how to deal with
things so in spades now Oh big time look
at all the support he got hi there
hey it's Dewey ever since the night of
the crash family friend TJ Stewart has
been a rock what's going on here Tom
anybody you organize neighbors to gut
the basement your elevator of course is
gonna be installed in the garage it's
good and helped raise nearly two hundred
thousand dollars for rehab and the
Renault including offers of building
materials but it's going to take months
so Ryan and his family move into the
Wingate hotel in Airdrie or as long as
they need to courtesy of the hotel's
owner
Ryan takes the accessible ground-floor
room the three other kids and their
parents split two other rooms Michele is
essentially running a house the hotel
there are days when I just I kind of
miss the simplicity of just going to
work and coming home and not having
the craziness it's really hard it's
awkward it's very the lobby has become
their living and dining rooms Tom calls
it stress gate not Wingate the changes
to their family life are really settling
in now especially for Ryan the days that
he doesn't have physio I think are the
hardest for him because he doesn't know
what to do with himself I think just the
enormity of what he's facing is hitting
him sometimes but there's other times
when I know he he feels yeah a little
bit left behind I think slide you back
just a tiny bit Ryan is happiest heading
back to the ice for the first time
wearing the Broncos helmet and gloves
sledge hockey veterans talked up the
sport back in the first few weeks after
the crash they've got their eye on line
is a potential Team Canada player maybe
Erica his girlfriend is moving from
Saskatchewan to Alberta to be with
summer is fading any other year Ryan
would have been at hockey camp by now
today instead Tom helps get the day
going it's Thursday August 23rd I woke
up the nurse went to buy today Sunday
Erica moves in so I'm pretty excited for
that five months ago he couldn't even
raise himself out of bed this is real
progress his morning routine can take an
hour and a half but now dad can leave
and Ryan's just a 19 year old again with
things to do and his independence coming
back his scars aren't fully healed
outside or inside but he has taken to
heart the idea that he is not defined by
his legs I think everything I've worked
up to you know it just keeps keeps going
and going they keep getting better and
better
what's been the worst thing I think just
the distance from everyone I mean
everyone's going away for hockey or and
or school but now you got to kind of
figure out what to do now because I mean
everyone's lives has been changed so I
mean I usually think about it every day
that takes well I think it's never gonna
leave my mind to be honest but do you
ever get angry still not really you know
I'm sort of becoming more of accepting
and being mindful of it but not letting
it get to me you're not going back to
Humboldt for the first game
no I won't be able to make it I don't
think why um I don't know I mean I love
the Broncos and the organization was
amazing I just I don't want to you know
watch the team that I should be playing
on right now so um I wish them all the
best to lock in and everything during
the season but I I just don't think I
can go watch just too hard I think so
yeah
back in May socks were the goal Bryan's
mastered a whole lot of life skills
since then I mean it's only been five
months and look where I am now and the
energy that fueled his ambition in
hockey is being rerouted we haven't
heard the last from this former humble
Bronco number ten