Cole on a roll
By Kyra Hoggan
Cole Hoodicoff, the 11-year-old Castlegar boy who was paralyzed in a skiing accident Jan. 3, is really rolling through his recovery process lately – literally.
Cole’s mom, Amy, said the past week has been a wonderful one, especially Tuesday. “He got a new chair which is much slimmer and much easier for him to use. He won’t let anyone push him at all anymore,” she said. “Sometimes you have to run just to keep up with Cole now – he can really push that chair. And you should see him popping wheelies.” On the same day, Cole also received his specially-designed sports wheelchair, which he’ll be using to learn basketball and any other sport he’s interested in …like tennis, perhaps. “Last night, we went on a little trip into Richmond to a wheelchair tennis club,” Amy said. “Cole just went to watch a friend play, but then he decided to get out there and give it a shot. The tennis coach said he’s a natural. He was just having a blast.” All this comes as a terrific upswing for Cole and his family, as the young man had previously been plagued with stomach problems. “They (the stomach issues) have calmed down now, and Cole’s eating again,” Amy said. “And the last four days, there’s been this surge of motivation – I’m really excited for Cole.” A huge victory came March 10, she said, when Cole said goodbye to the mechanical lifts that were helping him get from bed-to-chair and back. “He does it all himself now,” she said. “It’s a huge accomplishment.” The come-home date (Cole is still at the coast recovering) is now tentatively the end of April, and Amy said her family has found a home that should be a comfortable one for Cole. “We’re going to be moving into our new place in April,” she said. “It’s a much better layout (than our old house). The whole house is an open floor plan with laminate flooring, and it sits on about an acre of land – I’d love to get Cole a quad so he can ride alongside when his brother goes biking. “And he can wheel himself to school and back from the new house.” In the interim, Cole’s life is packed full with spring-break visits from his siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, etc., and he continues to do well with his schoolwork.
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