Near-death experience: How a Rochester native’s swift recovery is rebuilding a life on wheels

ROCHESTER, N.Y. – Three hours every week, you can find wheels spinning and the startling sound of chairs crashing in a small gymnasium  in Rochester.  Jamie Guglielmo is one of the newest members of a wheelchair rugby team, the WCNY Wreckers, that plays in this gym. 

Jamie and his teammates are all paralyzed from the shoulders down.   

The team’s 20 players have different stories of how they ended up at this stage in their life.

“I couldn’t move my legs at all. I felt like they were floating up in the air above me… I couldn’t move my fingers,” said Jamie.

Jamie was an avid skier. In February, Jamie was skiing with his friends, when he suddenly took a bad fall. It was his last run of the day as the sun was quickly fading and ski patrol was doing its last runs for the night. Jamie said if he stayed out any longer, he believes he would not be here today, 

“I might have gotten hypothermic—or maybe even died out there,” said Jamie.

Thankfully his friends called for help and that’s when Jamie was rushed to the hospital. His parents received a call no parent ever wants to get, their son was in the ICU. 

Jamie spent nine hours in surgery, his parents right there by his side, just thankful he was alive.

“We still have him. It didn’t matter. You know, what makes Jamie Jamie is still there,” said Jamie’s Mother crying as her husband rubs her back to comfort her.

After six weeks in a recovery facility, Jamie’s family welcomed him in with open arms. Jamie and his parents who were living in separate homes and completely independent made transition to this new stage of Jamie’s life. 

“I really liked being independent, having the ability to do what I wanted, whenever I wanted,” said Jamie, in a discouraged manner.

Jamie’s mother said it is even harder to watch her son go through this. 

“It’s not hard on me—I’m his mom. I think it’s hard on him to be dependent,” said Jamie’s mother, shedding a few tears. 

But Jamie hasn’t let this situation drag him down; he has found a new purpose as he rebuilds a life on wheels through a wheelchair. Practicing with this team has been everything to Jamie since the very moment he rolled onto this court. 

  “It’s definitely good to be able to get together with a group of people who are, more or less, in the same situation,” said Jamie.

Wheelchair rugby is the only paralympic sport that involves full contact. Nicknamed “Murderball,” it is a fast-paced sport that involves catching the ball in your lap, passing, and wheeling yourself into the goal while trying to dodge other wheelchairs. At first Jamie’s parents were not thrilled about  their son joining a contact type sport within a month of making a full recovery, but they couldn’t be more proud of their son. 

“There have been so many times over the past few months where I look at how Jamie is, and it’s… inspiring,” said Jamie’s Father.

As Jamie’s parents continue to support their son through daily care and helping him with daily activities they also remain hopeful about what the future of his injury holds. 

 “I’m still holding out that he will walk again,” said Jamie’s mother on the brink of tears. 

But what remains true is no matter if Jamie is on wheels or gets back on his feet one day again, his parents said his caring personality will never go away, 

“From the moment we saw him in the hospital, he was worried about work, worried about other people,” said Jamie’s father

And if there’s one message you should take from reading this it is: “Slow down when you’re skiing,” said Jamie while cracking a smile.