After 333 days in the hospital, Morgan Gobeil has been discharged.
Gobeil was one of 13 injured in the tragic Humboldt Broncos crash last April. He is the last to be released from the hospital. The defenceman was in his first full season with the team.
“Nearly 11 months after the Humboldt Broncos tragedy, Morgan is finally being released from hospital,” the player’s family said in a statement.
“We are incredibly proud of the progress he had made — 333 days of extremely hard work. He has endured many medical procedures and hours upon hours of physical, occupational and speech therapy.”
During the time he was hospitalized, Gobeil celebrated his high school graduation, his brother’s wedding, his 19th birthday, several holidays and saw all four seasons.
“While Morgan has not regained his speech or his ability to walk yet, we remain hopeful that those will be the kind of milestones we will someday be able to celebrate,” his family said.
The family expressed thanks for the medical personnel who worked with Gobeil on his journey to recovery.
“To the wonderful doctors, nurses and support staff that work on the rehabilitation unit, thank you,” they wrote.
“The care, compassion and attention you gave to Morgan are second to none. To Morgan’s therapy team – there are not words enough to express our appreciation for your dedication and commitment. Not only did you continually find ways to engage our son in relearning the many tasks of everyday living, you taught us a thing or two along the way so that we can continue to help Morgan. You are a talented bunch.”
Gobeil will now continue to recover as an outpatient at the Saskatoon City Hospital. His family is also building a new team of therapists within Saskatoon to work with him.
Gobeil left the hospital with the “believe” sign Broncos assistant coach Chris Beaudry brought to the hospital in Saskatoon days after the accident. The sign stayed at the hospital until the last boy — Morgan — came home.
“We are forever grateful to our family, friends, neighbours, Morgan’s teammates and their families, and our community for the continued and overwhelming support we have received. The messages, phone calls, visits, meals, gift, but most importantly your prayers, have truly carried us through.”
