Accident Update

Hey everyone...I read the comments left on my blog and also some of the message boards around the web and want to thank everyone for their well wishes over the past couple of days. The past couple of days have been foggy and hectic from what I remember. Filing insurance claims and seeing doctors sucks that's for sure but at least I got some answers on my injuries and Joe's as well. The next 3 weeks are going to painful for both of us as we try to recover in time for training camp, as I mentioned before he will be playing for Brooklyn this season. I saw a chiropractor yesterday, he took some x-rays of my back and put me through a battery of tests and the x-rays showed alot of damage was done to my neck and lower back. My neck no longer has a flex in it, which you're supposed to have, instead the vertebrae are just in a straight line. The same can be said for the vertebrae in my lower back, no more flex just a straight line. On top of that the spine at the lower back and top of my neck has shifted over to the right and is completely out of alignment, so that needs to be fixed also. If that wasn't bad enough I have some torn muscles in my abs and lower back area. All of that to go along with a mild concussion, which makes putting together simple sentences a task sometimes. Joe is in a little better condition, but has some disc problems in his lower back that he will need to be re-examined for in a couple of days when the inflammation has gone down.

I got some treatment yesterday from my chiropractor and again this morning to start the re-alignment process. It's going to be a long, painful process to correct everything. Luckily, he is one of the best in New England and deals with alot of hockey players in the area so he knows what he is doing and can fix me quickly (we hope). The damage to my neck and back are so bad that he has me seeing him 6 days a week for the next 3 weeks to try to adjust everything just to get me back to somewhere around 75% for training camp. All the work on my neck and back is being done to correct it in time for camp and we're just hoping and praying the concussion will be healed in time for me to pass our physicals the first day of camp.

My dad took me over to get all of my personal belongings out of what used to be my car this morning. The stuff I was worried most about was my hockey equipment that had been smashed up in the trunk. My helmet is completely mangled, there's some damage to my shinpads and skates as well. But getting a chance to see the car in daylight was nothing short of horrifying. The front seat back are broke and the metal in the seats are twisted, the trunk is literally in the back seat, the gas pump is detached from the car, the muffler is in pieces, the rear bumper is smashed and mangled underneath the car. And that's just the back side of the car. The front grill was pushed in about 8 inches, the bumper is cracked, the hood is folded up like you fold a blanket. It's scary to look at, I took some pictures on my phone and will try to upload them onto the computer so you guys can see what it looks like now.

Walking away from the towing yard I was overcome with emotions and thoughts and I know my old man was too. I just couldn't believe I walked away from this accident. I mean to see metal crushed up the way my car is crushed makes me wonder how in the world I'm sitting here typing to all of you and not laying in a hospital bed. My chiropractor said someone who wasn't built with the back and neck muscles I have built up in the gym would have broken their neck and possibly their back. Those are words that are scary to hear when you're 24 and have the world in front of you.

I will keep all of you updated over the next few days and weeks as to what is going on with my recovery and Joe's as well. Feel free to email me and ask questions...

And again thank you for all the well wishes