![]() “They’ve been a godsend,” Thibeault said. Milton Academy, the private school where Jake is a senior this year, has also been supportive in every possible way. His wife, Tracy, Jake’s mom, has also taken time off and for now they’ve moved to be near the hospital, Thibeault said, and their older son, Drew, a college student, is transferring to a school close by. The close-knit family is coming closer together now. “Jake is still a kid, even at 18, he wants us there.” The response from the school system was “no problem,” he said. “I can’t say enough about the Ayer Shirley district,” Thibeault said. Thanks to that supportive environment, he said, the only things he has to worry about right now are the most important things in his life: his son and his family, not his job. But the people he works for - and with - understand that. He hasn’t been to work since the accident, he said, and it may be an extended absence. Mike Thibeault is the technical director for the Ayer-Shirley Regional School District. Besides a lengthy hospital stay and intensive therapy now, the family’s home will need modifications to accommodate Jake later on. He knows, he said, that financial assistance will mean a lot in the days ahead. The Bruins Foundation will likely be the main fundraising focus, long term, he said, adding that former Bruins star Ray Bourque has connected with him about starting a “Team Thibeault” to benefit Jake. “To be honest, I’ve tried to avoid the media,” said Thibeault, adding that the family is grateful for all the support they’ve received, including The Greg Hill Foundation, a Go Fund Me website and other fundraising efforts, including an upcoming road race and an event at Hollis Hills Farm next month. But his dad says he hopes to tone down the spotlight on his son, for now, at least, while the Thibeault family focuses on Jake and the challenges ahead. He has spoken to reporters and appeared on TV, projecting an upbeat outlook and a winning smile. 4 accident during a the Eastern Alliance Kickoff tournament in Hopedale made headlines and Jake has been the subject of news stories since it happened. “He’s scared, but he still has his sense of humor,” Thibeault said of Jake. “It was a 14-mile challenge,” Thibeault said. They both laughed.Īnother time, he and Jake’s brother Drew, who plays college basketball, came to Jake’s hospital room after a long run, noting how sore their legs were. “Well, you didn’t do a very good job,” his son joked. “Dad, did you shave?” Jake asked him one day. And he seems, intuitively, to know how to help others cope, often with humor. ![]() Thibeault said Jake’s positive attitude is amazing, but it’s also just like him. Most patients don’t use it in the first month of rehab, if at all, he said. But it requires a level of strength and stamina that it takes time to develop. One of the machines used in Jake’s therapy routine positions him upright and mechanically enables him to “walk,” Thibeault said. ![]() The Milton Academy senior, who had hoped to play college hockey and had sparked interest from a couple of schools, has shown unbelievable grit while facing incredible odds, his dad said, tackling rehab at an accelerated pace he’s set for himself. ![]() “I don’t know how he does it,” he said of Jake’s focus as he faces the toughest challenge of his life. Jake has kept a positive outlook, despite the extent of his injuries, of which he is not only aware, but knowledgeable, Thibeault said. “It literally happened where I was standing.” “My soul has been ripped out,” Thibeault said. “He can’t move… or feel anything below his belly button,” Mike Thibeault said, opening up about how he’s doing, and how his family is dealing with a situation that the word difficult can’t begin to describe.īut as open as he was about his own feelings, and his son’s progress, he didn’t want to talk about the on-ice accident that put Jake in the hospital, a life-changing moment etched in his mind.
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