Junior Matt Olson was greeted by Dr. Jeffrey Cassidy at his March 26 appointment with some relieving news.

“When is your first lacrosse game?” Cassidy asked

“In two days,” Olson said.

“You better know the plays because your back is healed and it looks great,” Cassidy said.

It all began last summer. Olson was participating in a blocking drill in football when he collided with senior Isaak Newhouse and immediately pains shot down his legs. He had broken his bilateral pars – a group of small bones in his lower back.

“All I could think was, wow, that was the most painful thing ever,” Olson said. “And how am I going to get through this two-a-day and then through a lacrosse practice after that day?”

Prior to the fall season, during summer lacrosse, he was already experiencing back issues, but it wasn’t until football season that things escalated. He watched the entire football season from the sidelines, but missing out on lacrosse was not an option for Olson.

Olson’s first doctor did not provide the support he was looking for. He suggested that Olson wait until summertime to have his surgery, and in the meantime receive injections to numb the pain. This was not appealing whatsoever. Olson was ready to start his full recovery for lacrosse.

Olson then received a second opinion from Cassidy at Devos Children’s hospital. He understood the importance of sports in Olson’s life and tried to get him back in the game as soon as possible.

“From the moment we walked in the doors of the hospital we knew this was the right place,” Graham said.

Cassidy suggested that Olson get surgery just two weeks after his first visit and on January 2 that’s what he did. He spent most of this time laying around, catching up on schoolwork, and hanging out with those that came to visit him.

“Matt had incredible support from his friends,” Laura Graham, Olson’s mom, said. “That made those long days of laying in the basement by himself better. I just think it was really cool to see all of those people come and visit him and support him.”

Rob Olson, Matt’s father, agrees.

“I think there were a lot of people that really stepped up for Matthew and I think there are people who stepped up that he never imagined would,” Rob said. “I think that was very critical.”

Matt missed the majority of school from Christmas break until the beginning of third trimester. Five weeks after surgery, he began attending one class a day for the rest of second trimester.He was forced to wear his back brace for two months after surgery until his back was fully healed.

With his quick recovery, Matt was cleared to start playing lacrosse again on March 26. Although he was allowed to play, he wasn’t supposed to go all out for the first few weeks. His back had been stationary for so long, that it may not have been ready for the intensity of lacrosse. Cassidy’s advice didn’t stop Matt from returning to the field. He immediately began to practice and earned a spot on the team as a captain.

“He has always been positive,” junior teammate Adam Penland said. “He acts like another coach on the team and helps as much as he can.”

On April 15, Matt’s back was re-injured in the team’s game against Forest Hills Central. He has been unable to play since.

“I move differently now,” Matt said. “My shot has changed in lacrosse and I’ve lost a lot of weight and muscle.”

Despite his setbacks, he continues his recovery day by day in hopes of returning to the game.

“I will never forget walking into the doctor’s office and them telling us that it looked like the bone had healed,” Graham said. “Matt was released to go do what he could do, and it was like seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.”

From his dad’s perspective, the recovery process had done more than just challenge Matt physically.

“I think what this whole situation has taught him is to be able to look beyond the problem or the challenge that you’re facing and to really seek out the good or the lessons or the things that you can learn from it,” Rob said. “And I think that is a skill that he has learned that will probably serve him for the rest of his life.”

Matt remains optimistic for the rest of the season, and more importantly, the future.

“Most people would think that those would’ve been the worst 224 days of my life,” Matt said. “But they weren’t. They were the most eye-opening and influential days of my life.”