Picking Up The Pieces... Daniel Perry's Story

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by Andrew Plaudis

Daniel Perry is a lucky man.

Having overcome challenges that would have broken the will of many and surviving when the odds were stacked against him, the 25-year-old knows what it means to have gratitude.

At the age of 17, Daniel was flying high in the world of sports. A hockey player with a passion for writing, life was simple and a bright future loomed over the horizon. However, one routine walk with his Australian Shepherd, Jake, would completely change the trajectory of Daniel’s life.

“Sadly, I don’t remember much of that night,” Daniel says as he casually recites his story to the packed classroom. My neighbour told me about this path behind a hydro plant where people walked with their dogs. There are still some questions as to whether or not the lights were on.”

The next time Daniel was conscious would be in a hospital bed, having spent the last four months in a coma. The young athlete had been struck by a train while walking down the tracks and was not discovered for days. The police initially believed he was out partying with friends and dismissed his parents’ concerns. Daniel was finally discovered several days after the accident by Officer Al Bryer of the Milton Police Force. Few, including the officer, expected him to survive.

His condition was so dire that friends, family and teammates were allowed to visit the comatose young man to say their final goodbyes. They each signed a card that Daniel keeps with him to this day. “When I was at Sunnybrook [Hospital in Toronto], the doctors told my parents a few times that they didn’t think I’d make it much longer."

Due to his perseverance and physical as well as mental strength, Daniel survived the ordeal and eventually opened his eyes. The world he awoke to was much different than the one he remembered. A long recovery process lay ahead.

“The sports I played when I was younger and my attitude gave me so much strength to keep going… The physical therapy drove me a little crazy in the beginning. I used to have to go through it every day, now it’s only once or twice a week. I had to relearn how to walk.”

“I’m working on a book and the tentative title is ‘Blended Pizza’… That was the first solid meal I had in the hospital and my whole life was put in a blender and I’m finally putting it back together and discovering who I am. I’m still alive, I’m still writing and I still have my future.”

And he made sure to leave Officer Bryer something to remember him by.

“I gave him my trophy that I won in hockey for my passion and heart. He was pretty amazed when I visited him at the police station. He actually started to cry a bit when I gave him the trophy.”

Daniel’s passion for writing and sports led him to Sheridan College’s print journalism program. Though primarily a sports reporter, Daniel has also contributed to several medical magazines and written articles about brain injury. His happiest moment, however, was finally getting back on the ice after a year of hospitalization and physical recovery.

“I surprised a lot of my teammates when my parents brought me to a game while I was still a patient in the hospital. I walked into the dressing room and just took in the whole atmosphere. I remember the smell being so horrible, yet so beautiful. I was home.”