Minnesota teen defies odds, reunites with hockey team after paralysis

(FOX 9) - A miracle for a paralyzed Minnesota hockey player who got injured during a game in Vancouver back in January. Doctors told him he’d never be able to breathe on his own. He’s back in Minnesota, reuniting with his team.

Jackson Drum back at the rink after injury

What we know:

Jackson Drum was excited to be back at what he calls his home, a hockey rink. It's something he hasn’t seen in eight months after he was injured on the ice.

"I went headfirst into the board, and at that point, I tried to move. I couldn't move. I was there for I felt like 30 seconds. I passed out," said Jackson Drum.

Drum tells FOX 9 that after that, he woke up with a tube down his throat. His family got the news from doctors in Vancouver that he would probably be a quadriplegic for life and that he wouldn’t be able to breathe on his own.

"His is a severe spinal cord injury at the highest level. He broke his C1 and C2 in multiple places. So it's a hangman's break. It's called it's the same injury that, like Christopher Reeves sustained," said Erica Drum, Jackson’s mom.

But he defied the odds. He can breathe on his own, move his wheelchair, arms, and legs after going to a specialty center in Atlanta.

Jackson Drum reunites with hockey team

What they're saying:

What kept Jackson motivated was wanting to watch his teammates play again.

"Looking at their faces and how pumped they were to see me, and just for the whole team to see me, like all the new faces too, like it's really, it just fills my heart up with joy," said Jackson.

He fist bumped the Coeur D’Alene Hockey Academy team as they got ready to play, and although he’s not on the ice with them, it’s clear Drum will always be on the team.

"I always felt like, like they were watching me and they were lifting me up," said Drum.

What's next:

Drum’s goal is to walk again and live independently. With an attitude like his, he’s well on his way.