WINNIPEG — It has been a long and difficult road back for Shane Dyck.
Dyck, 23, was told he would never walk again after a horrific motorcycle accident in Winnipeg on August 27, 2013, when he flew head first into a cement planter. The crash left Dyck comatose for several weeks and after waking up, he spent months in an electric wheelchair.
“They gave me a one per cent chance of ever walking.”
But Dyck, who was a bodybuilder for the crash, said he refused to live the rest of his life in a wheelchair.
READ: Bodybuilder re-builds life after crash that nearly killed him
He has spent hundreds of hours in rehabilitation; re-learning simple tasks like how to walk, breathe and use utensils. He considers himself a “recovering quadriplegic.”
“I’m just like anyone else, I have my bad days, I’ve cried,” said Dyck.
On Saturday, Dyck beat the odds by competing in the Manitoba Amateur Body Building Association’s provincial qualifiers; the first time he has competed on the stage since his nearly fatal crash.
He still has more surgery in his future but said he hopes to compete in provincial competitions in the next year.
Dyck said he appreciates the messages of support he’s received from across the world. His ambitions now include motivational speaking and helping others who have experienced spinal cord injuries.
“At the end of the day, you have to keep pushing otherwise you’ll go nowhere. So you might as well make the most of it.”