Published December 10, 2020
By DAN NUNN
NORTH READING — On Oct. 29 of this year, the sports world and world as a whole suffered an unfortunate loss with the passing of the inspirational Travis Roy.
Roy, who was paralyzed from the neck down 11 seconds into his first shift for the BU hockey team, was revered for his courage and philanthropy in the face of tragedy.
Roy went on to create the Travis Roy Foundation which has funded research and provided financial aid to others who have suffered paralyzing injuries.
Way back in late Oct. 2004, one day after the Red Sox won their first World Series in 86 years, Roy spoke at North Reading High School. Every student was so captivated you could hear a pin drop in an auditorium with notoriously squeaky chairs.
Before his speech I had the pleasure of having lunch with Travis. After so many years I can’t specifically remember what we spoke about but as someone who is confined to a wheelchair it was nice to talk with another who has the same positive outlook even with the cards we’ve been dealt in life.
During his speech, Roy spoke highly of people like me.
“I think people see me, they hear me talk – they start to look at me more as a person than a disabled person,” said Roy. “I think that if they can look at me that way then they look around at other people with disabilities and they say wait a minute, there’s probably more to them than the wheelchair, more than the disability. You have 450 kids here and only one kid is in a wheelchair, it’s not fun but you do your best.
“I have an unbelievable amount of respect for children and young adults getting through life in a wheelchair. You know I had 20 good years of able bodied life and now I’ve got the disabled life. It’s not easy, it’s not fun and you miss out on a lot but you’re always trying to make the best of it. I’ve got a lot of respect for them.”
This statement shows what kind of person he was. The fact that he had so much respect for me and others in similar situations meant the world to me.
