Mike Nichols, Paralyzed Monroe Hockey Player, Shares Journey On WFAN

(NOTE: Boomer & Carton are holding a special NHL alumni hockey game on Saturday, Feb. 7, 2015 to benefit Mike Nichols and the Reeve Foundation. Entrance includes a Yankees ticket voucher. Tix and details: christopherreeve.org/nichols)

NEW YORK (WFAN) -- Once a hockey player, always a hockey player.

Nobody embodies that mentality more than Mike Nichols, who suffered a C-5 fracture during a game for Monroe High School (N.J.) on January 4. The spinal cord injury left him paralyzed, with no feeling below his ribs and limited use of his arms.

The 18-year-old is bringing the fight day in and day out. He shared his journey and gave an update on his progress during a visit Tuesday to WFAN's "Boomer & Carton" show.

"I don't truly realize, I think, I don't embrace how much I help other people," Nichols told Boomer Esiason and Craig Carton. "I'm just a hockey player. I just work hard. I just do the best I can every day. Maybe I wasn't going to make it to the NHL. Maybe I was supposed to be in a chair. But there's a reason. There's a plan for everything."

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Nichols said he can use his left wrist and twitch his thumb, and has some use of his right wrist but no movement in the thumb or fingers on that side.

Nichols, who was in studio to support the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation's "Big Idea" campaign for epidural stimulation research, said he didn't realize the extent of his injury on the ice.

"The ref came, told me to stay calm. I was like, 'I'm calm, just give me a couple minutes, I'll be OK,' " he said. "And then I remember my Dad came over. ... I was like, 'Dad, I was the best one out there do today.' He's like, 'You were.' "

To learn more about Mikey and his story, follow these links: Mikey's website at mikeystrong23.org; Twitter at @MikeyStrong23 and @M_Nichs; and The Big Idea at ReeveBigIdea.org.

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