Against all odds, 23-year-old Ryan Straschnitzki, five years after being one of the victims of the fatal Humboldt Broncos bus accident, still manages to demonstrate optimism and resilience.

Straschnitzki could have easily resigned after that incident that shaped the history of Saskatchewan and the hockey world. Paralyzed, doctors put the chance he’d walk again in his lifetime to 2%.

But he “didn’t want to let the doctors dictate the rest of his life,” he told Sask Today reporter Calvin Daniels.

“Determination navigates through the toughest of times. When life is hard, it is [important] to keep working hard and persevering.”

After a long rehabilitation period during which he experienced some major frustrations, he is now able to stand unaided and even swing a golf ball.

However, Straschnitzki never wanted to make a career on the Greens. His heart and mind still belong to Canada’s national winter sport. The proof: He only waited four months after the accident to return to the ice and see “how far he can go with it [hockey sur luge].”

“At the end of the day, I’m an athlete,” he said. I want to play hockey again. It’s an integral part of my identity.”

So the native of Airdrie, Alberta is aiming for nothing less than a spot on the Canadian para ice hockey team.

“I keep working on it,” he concluded. I hope to win a medal one day.”

A horror scene

Ryan Straschnitzki can remember very little about the day of April 6, 2018. Still, he is haunted by certain chilling memories.

“I heard a scream from the front of the bus,” he confided, adding that he briefly saw the semi-trailer that would hit the bus and take the lives of 13 people. Then: “boom”. And after that nothing.”

He tried in vain to get up and had to wait several minutes for a passer-by to come to his aid.

“When you’re 18 and isolated and helpless, you’re very scared.”