In a remarkable turn of events, a Minnesota teenager who was left paralyzed and reliant on a ventilator following a severe ice hockey accident is defying the odds with his recovery.

Jackson Drum, 18, sustained critical injuries to his C1 and C2 vertebrae at the base of his skull during a game in January. This type of injury is notoriously severe and similar to the one that left actor Christopher Reeve paralyzed and dependent on a respirator.

Drum was participating in a match with his team from the Coeur d’Alene Hockey Academy when he collided headfirst into the rink boards, as reported by KARE 11.

“He wasn’t expected to have any movement or the ability to breathe or drink on his own,” his mother, Erica Drum, shared with CBS Minnesota.

Undergoing emergency surgery to fuse the damaged vertebrae at a Vancouver hospital, doctors initially informed Jackson that he would likely face lifelong paralysis.

Drum had emergency surgery to fuse the vertebrae at a hospital in Vancouver where doctors told him he would likely be paralyzed for the rest of his life. 

‘When we told him he was paralyzed in Canada, he was like, “I am not going to be paralyzed,”‘ Erica said. 

Jackson Drum, 18, damaged his C1 and C2 vertebrae during a hockey game in January, which is the same type of spinal cord injury that paralyzed Superman star Christopher Reeve

Despite being told he would likely be paralyzed and need a ventilator for the rest of his life, he is now able to breathe on his own and is pictured standing up on Saturday

True to his word, Drum spent several months at a rehabilitation facility in Atlanta, Georgia, where he was able to get off the ventilator.

‘He wasn’t supposed to get off the ventilator, then he got off the ventilator. Then he wasn’t supposed to be off a feeding tube and then he got off a feeding tube,’ Erica said. ‘It’s so unexpected that it’s just like a miracle.’

At the end of September, Drum was able to return home to Minnesota and watched his teammates play in a showcase.

‘It felt amazing, it felt like I was back home, really,’ Jackson said. ‘I can’t believe it, it’s like everything just lined up together, just for this moment.

‘When they told me I was paralyzed, I told them I wasn’t paralyzed really. I had confidence that I would recover.’

Drum’s mother said his recovery is nothing short of a miracle and even posted a video on social media on Saturday showing the teen standing up.

‘Everybody had told us the chance of him getting off the ventilator alone was one in a million,’ Erica said. 

‘May 30, on his birthday, actually, he passed the ventilator test, so he was on the ventilator for five months.

Drum (pictured in September 2023) was playing with is team from the Coeur d’Alene Hockey Academy at a match in Canada when he went headfirst into the rink boards

He had emergency surgery to fuse the vertebrae at a hospital in Vancouver where doctors told him he would likely be paralyzed for the rest of his life

At the end of September, Drum was able to return to Minnesota and watch his teammates play in a showcase (pictured)

‘When he got hurt, he started with a complete spinal cord injury, and then he went to an incomplete spinal cord injury, which rarely happens.’ 

Drum credits staying positive and keeping his faith for helping him reach this point in his recovery. 

‘I think the way that I stay positive is that everything happens for a reason, and I feel like I was able to make the best of it,’ he said.

‘You got to keep going, you know, and the harder I work, the more progress I see in my opinion.

‘I remember my whole accident, and it’s hard to think about, but I always think about the positives.’

Drum dreams of being able to get back in the ice and even coaching one day. 

‘I want to tie the skates up again, I want to be able to get back on the ice with my team, and tell my story around the world, and live independently first too,’ he said.