Ice hockey player Nemo Pajula was confined to a wheelchair for the rest of his life at the age of 17

Tampere

Snow it has been raining relentlessly for days in Tampere’s Kaukajärvi.

Nemo Pajulan however, it doesn’t weigh heavily on my mind, even though moving around in a wheelchair always becomes considerably more laborious during the winter months.

“Sorry I’m a little late. The plowing truck had made nice ruts, so I had to play around a bit,” Pajula, 19, says.

“It’s not a big wall, but when studded tires haven’t been made for these wheelchairs yet.”

How about a few minutes. Pajula has had to experience a lot of snow and ice challenges in his life.

From the fateful it’s been two years since the accident and tonsils. Pajula played the last regular hockey game of his life on October 23, 2022.

“I think it was still an insignificant game for both teams,” he recalls.

The opponent’s Tackle was not outrageous or reckless, but all the more unfortunate. Pajula, who played in Ilves’ U18 team, had no chance to protect himself, instead he flew backwards into the side of the Hakametsä ice rink.

Pajula immediately felt a sharp pain in her back. When he tried to get up, his legs wouldn’t work. A few hours later, Pajula was already in emergency surgery.

“At the point of the navel, one spinal vertebra was shattered. It could not be saved, it has been replaced with iron. The other one was put back in place.”

At first the predictions were moderate that Pajula would be able to walk again someday. Some kind of feeling returned to my legs.

“In rehabilitation, however, they said right away to be prepared for the fact that you won’t walk again.”

Over time, the harsh truth emerged. Pajula would be in a wheelchair for the rest of his life. The spinal cord was too badly damaged.

“I’m very fine with it. Such is life. Today, fortunately, the world is relatively barrier-free, especially in summer.”

“Sometimes I still have such dreams that I play in the NHL, for example. But the accident itself doesn’t come to my dreams and doesn’t really even cross my mind anymore. It’s pointless to worry about it when you can’t influence it.”

Although the magnitude of the life change is hard to grasp from an outsider, Pajula has remained amazingly positive.

And it hasn’t gone unnoticed.

The friends set a trap for Pajula on a regular Tuesday evening in January. He was invited to dinner, but in the middle of everything, Pajula found out that he had been voted Tampere of the Year.

”

Sometimes I still have such dreams that I play in the NHL. But the accident itself doesn’t come to my dreams and doesn’t really even cross my mind anymore.

The victory came with an avalanche of sound. Pajula received almost a third of the more than 11,600 votes.

“I had no idea that such a dog would be buried there. I thought we’d just go to the wing and throw darts. It was quite a memorable evening.”

With his attitude, Pajula has served as an inspiration to many.

“Adversities happen to everyone. The most important thing is how you handle them. Of course, I don’t always have a smile on my face either.”

“The family has learned that no matter what the situation is, don’t give up. I try to maintain it and also bring a little to others.”

Guys have supported Pajula since the accident.

“I was even surprised by how actively the Friends visited me in the hospital.”

A group of friends is still extremely important. Like young adults, Pajula likes to spend the evening in nightclubs or bars.

“In that case, you mainly have to remember to take enough catheters with you.”

“We like to visit, for example, the upper floor of Kaijaka, which may not be the most accessible place to get to. But then let’s carry those stairs.”

Getting around has been made easier by the driver’s license obtained at the beginning of the year. At car dealerships, the choice fell on the brand new station wagon Mersuu, which was fitted with manual control devices.

“”Before that, the guys had to be taxi drivers too much.

Accident took Pajula the dream of a professional hockey career, but now there are new dreams on the farm.

He graduated from school as a merconomist. The work in the sales department will probably start after the new year.

“It brings even more rhythm to everyday life. Money is always good too.”

The collection organized by Ilves has also helped a lot with the money. Tens of thousands of euros were collected there.

Pajula still lives at home with her mother and little brother, but she is thinking of looking for her own apartment.

“We have talked about moving to the yard little by little. The easiest would be a new house, where you would only need to put a shower chair on the wall and a couple of handles.”

Pajula is currently single. At some point in the near future, the dream is to start a family.

“I would like to live a normal, comfortable life with a financially stable situation.”

New a sports career has also opened up for Pajula. He has found para hockey.

It is played in a standard hockey rink with metal sleds and two small sticks with spikes on one end for movement.

“When I knew that walking wouldn’t work anymore, I knew I wanted to try this. Now I’m starting to be one of the fastest players in Finland.”

Getting to the Paralympics could be a reality in 2030. On the last trip there, Pajula played with the Finnish national team in the para-hockey C-series World Championships.

The venue was quite exotic: Bangkok, Thailand.

“Against Thailand, 300-400 spectators were so loud that they couldn’t hear anything in the rink. The hall was also nice and barrier-free, although on the streets there could sometimes suddenly be a pole in the middle of the corridor.”

Finland defeated Thailand in the final with a score of 1–0. Pajula was chosen as the best defender of the games.

Even the Queen of Thailand graced the final day with her presence Suthida.

“He was very prominent. As soon as we went to the morning ice, there were about 20 police officers at the doors of the hall to escort us inside. After the ice cream, we were locked in the dressing room, and we weren’t allowed to leave until the queen was in place.”

“I think the top management of the army and navy was also there. In the evening, there were 20–30 men in suits, who probably had something stronger hidden.”