Eleven Seconds: A Story of Tragedy, Courage, & Triumph
Monday, July 16, 2012 at 1:45PM 
By: Travis Roy with E.M. Smith
As far as Travis Roy was concerned, he was born to play hockey. Growing up with a Dad who coached and managed a rink, Travis began playing when he was only four. His talents—developed through years of slap shots, skating drills, and face offs—landed Travis a coveted spot with the reigning national championship team at Boston University. When Travis stepped out onto the ice in his first game as a BU Terrier he was truly living his dream. Little did he know, 11 seconds was all it would last. At full speed, Travis went head first into the boards and shattered his fourth and fifth vertebrae, severing his spinal cord. In the blink of an eye, this freak accident forever changed life as he knew it.
Written only a year and a half after his injury, Eleven Seconds recounts the many challenges Travis faced adjusting to life as a quadriplegic. Even after grueling surgeries and months of therapy, Travis was essentially incapable of moving any part of his body below the shoulders. His goal of playing professional hockey had been cut short and he was confronted with the reality that he would never walk again. From his perspective, we witness that the psychological transitions were sometimes harder than the physical. As Travis writes, “The fundamental problem was that I didn’t know who I was anymore.”
However, through the process of grieving the identity and life that he lost, Travis found a new sense of hope and determination. Over time, he realized that “… the pre-accident Travis Roy wasn’t really so very different from the paralyzed Travis Roy.” When Travis began to look past the things that he couldn't do and focus on the things he could, it didn’t matter so much that he was no longer a hockey player. Travis found ways to pursue old passions and even discovered his new one for painting. It was with this determination that Travis returned to Boston University and continued to lead a fulfilling life. Today, Travis is a college graduate, a highly-regarded motivational speaker, and the founder of a non-profit organization aimed at helping survivors of spinal cord injuries. His successes are undeniable.
Travis is a living testament to the power of hope. He provides a voice of encouragement for those in similar situations to remain active in their pursuits. Through his story, he teaches us all to be more understanding of paralysis and makes us aware of the many ways we can help. Eleven Seconds is an inspirational book that will leave a tremendous impact on anyone who reads it.
Review by Greg McGee, contact him at gmcgee@minutesformemories.org