Noah wanted to play hockey | The Press

I wanted to tell one of those beautiful stories that happen in our communities. Because of the beautiful, there are plenty of them and that from time to time, it feels good to linger there. A simple story of dreams, perseverance and humanity. Isn’t it said that beauty is found in simplicity?

Noé-Mathias Bacon is 8 years old, almost 9, he wishes to specify. He lives in the Innu community of Mashteuiatsh, near Roberval. He was born with arthrogryposis congenita, a condition that results in stiff joints and limited range of muscle movement. On the ultrasound of his mother, Néanne, an anomaly was detected. She was then told that her child had club feet. It was only at the age of 6 that Noé-Mathias really knew what he had. It never worked. All his movements are limited.

Noé tout court, as his friends call him, loves hockey more than anything. Néanne says he is the number one fan of the sport, hands down. Noah wanted to play hockey. The problem is that sledding, the normal means used to play hockey in handicap situations, was not an option for Noé because of the limitation of the movement of his arms. But Noé still wanted to play hockey. He has a wide smile like that on his face when it comes to ice, sticks and pucks.

This year, life had a nice surprise for Noah. At the start of classes, his school, the Amishk School, decided to offer a hockey program to motivate young people, boys or girls, to persevere in school through hockey. Sponsored by former hockey player Joé Juneau, who has been working in Aboriginal communities since 2006, the latter’s school hockey program has brought Noé closer to his dream, to the touch of his fingertips.

Noah is in 3^and year. Despite his obvious desire to participate in the program, we can guess that many obstacles stood in his way. Among other things, he needed help with transportation to the arena, clothing, the right equipment and a custom-made adapted ramp so that Noah could get down on the ice. Finally, at the end of January, the adapted access ramp was ready. Unfortunately, at the same time, a breakage at the arena made the ice impassable for two weeks. Two long weeks where Noé-Mathias had to wait patiently. He already knows how to do that very well despite his young age.

Finally, on Valentine’s Day this year, as if in a great outpouring of love, Noé-Mathias was able to realize his dream. He played hockey on a “real” rink for the first time in his life.

Well seated in his motorized wheelchair, Noé put the wheel on the ice. No question that the worker who accompanies him puts on the skates, he wanted to go alone, like the others. That day, he was the star. During training, he even scored his first goal with the advice of coaches and a former National Hockey League player to boot. Since then, Noé hasn’t stopped asking his mother if she could rent the rink for him and his friends. You should know that Néanne is also a hockey player. They go there almost every week, she tells me. To believe that hockey runs in their veins to both. Noé-Mathias’ other big dream is to one day see the Canadiens play, even if his favorite team at the moment is the Ottawa Senators.

Noé-Mathias is resourceful. At school, he writes using his computer and his mouse. However, he has come a long way. He did not move at birth. He was well cared for, followed daily at school by his specialized educator, enrolled in a research protocol that brings him to the best specialists in the province several times a year. He is fine. He does everything to be independent and uses humor to make others feel good. He has a big heart and lots of friends.

This is what sometimes happens when we give back, when we make things possible, when we no longer see the colors and the barriers and when we make the necessary efforts. We build bridges or ramps, we light sparks, we create lasting memories. And not just for Noah, but for anyone who sees the stars in his eyes.