‘Lucky to Be Here’: Paralyzed Winnipeg Hockey Player Trains for Success

Reese Ketler, a 19-year-old who was paralyzed during a hockey game in December, wears a necklace with his jersey number and a t-shirt with his hashtag as works through his rehabilitation with physiotherapist Kevin Stewart at the Health Sciences Centre in Winnipeg, on March 5, 2020. John Woods/The Canadian Press

WINNIPEG—Sweat builds on Reese Ketler’s brow, as his hands clasp both ends of a hockey stick.

Each time the 20-year-old thrusts the stick toward his physiotherapist, his body learns to use different muscles in his arms and back.