With 19:40 on the clock in the first half of the University of Vermont's match-up against Albany in March, Josh Speidel caught a pass and scored. The crowd went wild, and the coaches and players of both teams hugged Josh. Josh announced, "I did it! I'm a college basketball player!"
Making a single lay-up (单手上篮) would be no big deal for the average player. But five years ago, Josh suffered a brain injury in a car accident only months after signing with the UVM Catamounts. Josh had offers from 15 universities, but playing for UVM had always been his dream.
After the accident he went into a coma (昏迷) and the doctors told his parents that he might remain in a vegetative state or need round the-clock care for the rest of his life. But his parents never lost faith that their son would wake up, and agreed they wouldn't tell Josh his terrible prognosis when he did.
Four weeks later, Josh proved them right. Not only did he learn to walk and talk again, soon he was even working out. But the goal of playing basketball was a driving force in Josh's recovery.
Just a year and a half after the accident, he headed off to Burlington, Vermont to start college. With periodic arm tremors and short-term memory loss, Josh knew he would never play for UVM, but he watched every practice from the sideline sand became an important part of the team. UVMs associate head coach Kyle Cieplicki, who'd been Josh's lead recruiter, said, "He's shown the whole team how to handle adversity."
Now 24, Josh will graduate from UVM in May with a 3.4 GPA. He's majoring in education and social services, and plans to work with kids. Josh tells people who are struggling with their own challenges," Always have a goal in your head and chase after it as hard as you can. And whenever you need help, ask."
