Neuro Note #4: Matt Olson's Story

         

                                    

For my fourth Neuro Note, I decided to go the sports route. I chose an article/video clip of former hockey standout, Matt Olson, as he explains the severity of his injury. The title of the article is "Exclusive: 1-on-1 with Injured Hockey Player, Matt Olson." In this video, it shows Matt explaining the incident that left him unable to move on the ice, and how his life changed drastically due to this unfortunate event. To others, this would be catastrophic; however, Matt's physician expressed, "His attitude is fantastic. He's a hard worker and is doing a great job mastering things that sometimes take people much, much longer than it's taken Matt." This is just further proof that the power of one's mind can overcome any obstacle or event that has happened to someone. I chose this article, because we are currently discussing spinal cord injuries in class. This article grabbed my attention strictly because it is a story about an athlete. Truthfully, I have had multiple situations of getting injured, especially hitting my head in football and baseball. However, I was able to get up and continue my daily routine. Whereas Matt, he had to adapt to his new lifestyle. I wanted to hear his story, because this can literally happen to anyone that plays a contact sport. I love sports more than anyone, but I would be foolish to not see the potential life altering scenarios for some individuals. In this specific video, I learned that even experiencing one of the most severe spinal cord injuries, Matt's determination, work ethic, and attitude has pushed his mind, body, and spirit in the right direction. It has even pushed further than the science that would consider multiple barriers for his 'case.' Matt is proving everyone wrong by putting in the gut wrenching work. He may have experienced a life changing injury, but he refuses to let one moment in time change who he is as a person. This helped my realize that situations and accidents do not define who we are as people. Our mindset, empathy, and actions define who we want to be. I would recommend this video to people, so they can understand the power of a good mindset. Matt's mindset reminded me of a 'growth mindset,' which we learned in Leadership and Foundations class. This video lacked educational details and applicable interventions, but it still was an uplifting video. 

         "Exclusive: 1-On-1 with Injured Hockey Player, Matt Olson." Karell.com, www.karell.com/article/news/exclusive-1-on-1-with-injured-hockey-player-matt-olson/89-205434233. Accessed 9 Aug. 2022.

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