Travis Roy was just 20 years old when his whole life changed forever, 11 seconds into his first college hockey game, Roy was paralyzed from the neck down. On Tuesday, November 6th, Travis Roy came to talk to students at UMass Lowell about how he overcame some of his darkest days.
The Travis Roy Foundation
Travis also has a foundation, The Travis Roy Foundation, which was founded in 1997. The foundations mission is dedicated to enhancing the life of individuals with spinal cord injuries and their families by providing adaptive equipment and to finding a cure through increased funding of research, resulting in self-reliance and the ability to be as independent as possible. More information about his foundation can be found here.
The Challenge: Some We Choose, Others Choose Us
“Sometimes we choose the challenge, and sometimes the challenges choose us” was how Travis opened up his speech. He went on to explain that while yes, he will forever be linked to a horrific hockey accident, he is more proud of being a well rounded person rather than a hockey player. He gave two primary motivating factors that help with achieving your goals: the desire for how good you can be and always having pride and accountability.
“How far are you willing to go for your passion?”
He always looked at the positives while recovering from his accident, each year making new goals to achieve. You always have a choice in things no matter what, and the way you choose to view things can change your outlook on life. You can either take that leap, or let your fears hold you back. Roy also stated that to him , “a positive attitude and positive state of being will take you further in life than anything else”. Opportunity is still there if you choose to see it.
The one thing that Travis said which really stuck with me was to appreciate the essence of life, and enjoy the simple things which motivates us to do and be better as humans. Don’t just settle for being average, rise above other peoples expectations of you.
Roy also has an autobiography titled “Eleven Seconds” which came out in 1998 and it details all about his early life, accident and his recovery.
Please consider checking out the Travis Roy Foundation and supporting his cause.
Until Next Time
~RJ
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