Parents Say Teen Injured in High School Hockey Game Won't Walk Again

(MyFoxTwinCities.com)

The parents of a Minnesota teenager who severed his spinal cord in a high school hockey game said he will not walk again, MyFoxTwinCities.com reported.

Jack Jablonski, 16, who attends Benilde-St. Margaret’s in St. Louis, Minn., suffered broken vertebrae and a severed spinal cord last Friday when he was accidentally checked from behind in a hockey tournament. Doctors performed a successful spinal fusion surgery on him Wednesday at Hennepin County Medical Center.

However, Jack’s parents, Leslie and Mike Jablonski, wrote on Jack’s CaringBridge page that he will not walk again.

"This news is devastating to Jack and everyone who loves him," they wrote. "Our hope and dream is that he will be able to prove this prognosis wrong. Our priority is to help Jack accept and transition into his new life, a life that we did not plan, but one that we have to embrace. We have a mountain to climb, but with your support, we know that Jack's youth, strength and determination will help him make remarkable strides."

One vertebrae had been pushed in front of another, and it could not be repaired, said Dr. Walter Galicich, who performed the surgery.

Jack does have some movement in his right shoulder, but doctors said he will not have any movement below his elbow.

Jack will spend at least one more day in the intensive care unit before he begins rehabilitation.

Click here to read more on this story from MyFoxTwinCities.com.