The Next Shift: The Journey of Stroke Survivor Jack Smiley
Welcome to another episode of the Greater Than The Game podcast. In this episode, we talk with Endicott Hockey player, Jack Smiley. In 2022, Smiley suffered a stroke while on the ice. The stroke left him with no use of the right side of his body. After grueling physical therapy Smiley has worked to regain movement on his right side and now has a new goa to get back on the ice!
The Journey
In the podcast, Smiley shares his journey from high school to junior hockey and the challenges he faced before reaching Endicott. He opens up about his emotions and mindset while in the hospital shortly after the stroke and how he was able to mentally approach a recovery where doctors were unsure how much he would improve.
Impact
We discuss the importance of staying flexible when reaching for goals and how to build the skill of perspective. Smiley also shares the impact social media has had during his recovery and how he is using his story to reach other stroke survivors and spread his message of hope to his over 100,000 followers on social media.
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