Connect with us

Minnesota

Minnesota hockey player paralyzed during game seeing ‘small miracles’

Published

on

Minnesota hockey player paralyzed during game seeing ‘small miracles’


A few weeks ago, Jackson Drum’s family was told he would probably be a quadriplegic for life, with no sensation or movement below his neck and never able to breathe on his own.

Advertisement

But small changes already feel like enormous miracles.

“They said to expect him to be fully quadriplegic,” Emily Haeg Nguyen, his aunt, told FOX 9. “We were holding onto hope.”

A sudden life-altering moment

Advertisement

The backstory:

Jackson, who hails from Parker’s Prairie north of Alexandria, plays hockey for the Coeur D’Alene Hockey Academy in Idaho.

On Jan. 24, he’d just scored a goal during a game in Vancouver.

Advertisement

Minutes later, a hard hit into the boards changed everything when he went into cardiac arrest on the ice.

Doctors in Vancouver fused two vertebrae in his neck, but told the family to expect lifetime paralysis: no sensation or movement below the neck and never able to breathe on his own.

Advertisement

‘The Miracle Boy’

Dig deeper:

Jackson has since began to recover a slight sensation of people touching him, and started making slight muscle movements.

Advertisement

Doctors in Vancouver couldn’t believe it.

“They just came in there and were shocked,” Jason Drum, Jackson’s father, told FOX 9. “They just said it was a miracle. Their own words!”

Advertisement

Using an alphabet board in his hospital room, Jackson nicknamed himself “the miracle boy.”

Move to Atlanta

What’s next:

Advertisement

Last week, Jackson was airlifted to Shepherd’s Center in Atlanta, which specializes in spinal cord injuries. The nearly $50,000 flight was covered by the generosity of donors to the family’s “Give Send Go” campaign.

He’ll be there for at least a few months, but what they continue to see is nothing short of astounding.

He’s been able to breathe on his own for about an hour a day, which wasn’t supposed to happen.

Advertisement

And his family shared a video of Jackson slightly moving his left leg.

“He started wiggling his shoulders,” said Emily. “And then just these past few days, he started wiggling a few fingers on his left hand.  And I guess my sister said she saw him wiggling his pinky toe as well.”

Advertisement

Another fundraiser is planned for April 12 in Alexandria to help cover the costs of his care and to help prepare his home for his eventual return to Minnesota.

What his recovery looks like is still unknown, but what’s happened so far already has inspired the hockey community.

PeopleSportsMinnesota
Advertisement



Source link

Minnesota

Over 840,000 Minnesotans Assist Aging Loved Ones, Shaping Their Daily Lives

Published

on

Over 840,000 Minnesotans Assist Aging Loved Ones, Shaping Their Daily Lives


UNDATED (WJON News) — A new report says hundreds of thousands of Minnesotans are caring for a loved one.

The AARP says its report indicates 840,000 Minnesotans are caregivers for adults, providing care for older parents, spouses, neighbors, and other loved ones.

They spend about 480 million hours of care each year, work that would be valued at $11.1 billion per year if it were paid in the marketplace, based on a value of about $23 per hour.

AARP says family caregivers are averaging about 27 hours each week.

More than half, 57 percent, are providing high-intensity care, meaning they spend more hours helping with daily tasks like bathing and dressing, as well as complex medical and nursing tasks like wound care and administering injections.

Advertisement

AARP says these numbers are why it advocated to help secure Paid Family Leave and Medical Leave in Minnesota, giving family caregivers the ability to be there for their loved ones without sacrificing their jobs.

AARP also helps families navigate caregiving challenges by connecting them to resources.

Thanks For The Memories In MN Adam, SKOL Vikings

With the Minnesota Vikings waiving Detroit Lakes-native, former Minnesota State Mankato Maverick, Adam Thielen today, it’s only natural to go back and revisit his time with the hometown team. Here are some pictures of Adam in purple from his two stints with the Vikings, and his stats during his time with the Vikings. 

Gallery Credit: Getty Images





Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Minnesota

Politics Friday: Mike Lindell ‘all in’ for Minnesota’s governor’s race with Trump backing or not

Published

on

Politics Friday: Mike Lindell ‘all in’ for Minnesota’s governor’s race with Trump backing or not


By submitting, you consent that you are at least 18 years of age and to receive information about MPR’s or APMG entities’ programs and offerings. The personally identifying information you provide will not be sold, shared, or used for purposes other than to communicate with you about MPR, APMG entities, and its sponsors. You may opt-out at any time clicking the unsubscribe link at the bottom of any email communication. View our Privacy Policy.



Source link

Continue Reading

Minnesota

‘No King’s’ Flagship Protest Features Star-Studded Lineup Of Performers

Published

on

‘No King’s’ Flagship Protest Features Star-Studded Lineup Of Performers


Millions of people around the country will take to the streets this Saturday in the latest round of “No Kings” protests that aim to denounce President Donald Trump’s subversion of the rule of law and attacks on democracy.

“Masked secret police terrorizing our communities. An illegal, catastrophic war putting us in danger and driving up our costs. Attacks on our freedom of speech, our civil rights, our freedom to vote. Costs pushing families to the brink. Trump wants to rule over us as a tyrant. But this is America, and power belongs to the people – not to wannabe kings or their billionaire cronies,” the NoKings website states.

The flagship event in St. Paul is expected to draw over 80,000 people to the Minnesota capital, including Oscar-winning actress Jane Fonda, legendary folk singer Joan Baez, rock icon Bruce Springsteen, and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).

It is one of 3,000 events planned nationwide, according to organizers.

Advertisement

“Our goal is to continue to build a peaceful and nonviolent movement that gets us to the place where we have a healthy, functioning democracy, and communities and state and country where we can all thrive,” Indivisible Twin Cities event organizer Rebecca Larson told Minnesota Public Radio.

Joan Baez (L) Bruce Springsteen (C) and Jane Fonda (R) are among the various celebrity performers and speakers expected to attend the “No Kings” rally in St. Paul, Minn., on March 28.

The rally comes in the wake of Trump’s immigration crackdown in Minneapolis, which drew widespread national attention and resulted in the deaths of Americans Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti at the hands of federal agents.

Springsteen, who is scheduled to perform at Target Center in Minneapolis later this month, penned a protest song in honor of Good and Pretti titled “Streets of Minneapolis.” He also plans to perform at the rally on Saturday, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported.

“When you have the opportunity to sing something where the timing is essential and if you have something powerful to sing, it elevates the moment, it elevates your job to another level. And I’m always in search of that,” Springsteen told the publication.

Saturday’s gatherings are the third such mass protests under the “No Kings” banner, the first of which was held last June as a counter-event to Trump’s military parade celebrating the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army, which also fell on the president’s 79th birthday. The second “No Kings” protest occurred in October of last year.

Advertisement

Since then, a litany of events has captured the nation’s attention, including immigration crackdowns, government shutdowns, the fight over the release of the Epstein files and the ongoing war in Iran. “No Kings” organizers plan to hone in on Americans’ frustrations with these issues to increase turnout and attention for Saturday’s demonstrations.

“Now, President Trump has doubled down. His administration is sending masked agents into our streets, terrorizing our communities. They are targeting immigrant families, profiling, arresting, and detaining people without warrants. Threatening to overtake elections. Gutting healthcare, environmental protections, and education when families need them most,” the organization states on its website. “The president thinks his rule is absolute. But in America, we don’t have kings – and we won’t back down against chaos, corruption, and cruelty.”



Source link

Continue Reading

Trending