January 27th, 2016

On Friday, January 22nd guest visitor Ben Fanelli visited our school.

Ben talked about his journey through a brain injury and his recovery. He taught us his words to live by along the way. Ben told us at age 16 he played for the Kitchener Rangers. He was what they call “living the dream”. In his seventh game on October 30th Ben had an accident on the ice. He had taken a rough crosscheck to the head. Ben woke up in a hospital the next day with no memory of the game. Ben was told he would never play sports again, which was a huge part of his life but Ben was determined to play again.

He taught us a couple of things. The first thing he taught us was the little things matter. He explained that showing up early, shaking peoples hands, being a team player and being optimistic were all little things that matter. Another thing he taught us was that there is no right or wrong way to achieve your goal. Ben took a totally different path than anyone else when he achieved his goal of going to the New York Rangers camp. The last thing Ben mentioned was respect. Ben said in his mind respect was being trusted. He explained if you give respect you, you’ll often get respect in return. “Strive to be trusted, not liked.”  was one of the quotes that stuck in our heads. Ben’s work ethic was inspirational and got him to the New York Rangers camp.

Today, Ben currently coaches younger hockey fanatics, fosters dogs (they’re so cute), got his degree at Laurier, and started a non-profit organization-called Headstrong which supports people recovering from head injuries like himself.

We hope that everyone was able to take something away from  Ben’s visit and are glad that Ben was able to stop by the best school in the world.

Written by Laina and Jenna, Intermediate Students at Breslau P.S.