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Thursday, November 11, 1999
Dream came true
For seven days, Edith Regehr sat at her injured son's bedside.
Her prayers were for Robyn to simply survive.
When the doctors had finished X-raying, probing and operating, the Regehrs learned their son would live.
That's all they had hoped.
That their son's dream of one day playing hockey in the NHL might be dead was no concern. It seemed unimportant. It was.
Then, last night, four months after the double-fatal car crash in which Robyn broke both his legs, Ron and Edith Regehr sat in the Saddledome in almost disbelief at seeing their son in a Calgary Flames uniform.
Not only had he survived. He rose from that hospital bed to realize his dream.
Last night, he shared it with his family, who drove seven hours to see their son play in the NHL for the first time.
The tears that Edith shed the first night she watched Robyn play on television in his first NHL game did not come. But the smile could not have been bigger.
Especially, when seven minutes and 31 seconds into the game, Robyn scored his first NHL goal.
"This is a day we thought might never come," said Edith. "The emotions are very high -- neither one of us slept much the night before."
Indeed, their seven-hour drive to Calgary for the game was filled mostly with silence.
And reflection.
Robyn, his brother Dinho and two female friends were on their way home to Rosthern, Sask., after a day of waterskiing on July 4.
Regehr, who was driving, didn't even have time to hit the brakes when he swerved to avoid an oncoming vehicle in his lane.
The two men in the other vehicle, Paul Wolfe, 18, of Saskatoon and Eric Turenne, 20, of Warman, Sask., died. Regehr says he is reminded of the crash by the memorials to those two men every time he drives that highway.
"It really is incredible, a miracle," says Edith.
"In the hospital, the hockey was the last thing on our minds -- we were worried about his life. There were complications that could have set in, infections ... we were just hoping he would be able to walk again.
"But there were early signs, too, that he would still realize his dream," says mom, who is also a nurse and stayed at Robyn's bedside.
"He was the easiest patient I've ever taken care of. He was always positive and never blamed anyone else. There might have been the one time that he got frustrated, but he showed the nurses right away he wouldn't be in that hospital bed for long."
Ron remembered the fear Robyn felt as he watched his immobile body atrophy, the same body he had built up to the best condition ever in preparation for the Flames training camp.
"As soon as he could move his arms, he asked for some weights to work with for his arms," said mom. "We started with 2.5 pounds and in a couple days. he said, 'give me more,' and in no time he went to 10 pounds. He was so determined."
That determination surprised everyone; his parents, his doctors, the Flames management.
No one really expected him to play in the NHL this season. Now he has six games under his belt and has demonstrated the poise and talent to stay here as a 19-year-old.
"I cried that first game I watched him on television," said mom. "To see how much adversity he had come true, to spend all that time just hoping he'll live, then to see your son realize his dream ...
"We couldn't ask for more."
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