Mikey Nichols: 'I would never change what happened that day'

It was 6 years ago last Saturday night, Jan 4 that 17-year-old Mike Nichols was paralyzed playing hockey for Monroe High School. His life would never be the same after that and Saturday he tweeted out that he would never change what happened.

Nichols, who on the 5th anniversary of his paralysis said "The world needed me in a wheelchair," tells New Jersey 101.5:

"Over the past 6 years I've grown from a little boy to a man. I've encountered many different obstacles and overcame all of them. I've learned how to fail forward and get back up and try again. It's gonna be hard for anyone to keep me down, I'll still keep fighting."

Nichols not only believes that, but he also lives it every day. Just this past October, Nichols with the help of Monroe teacher Joe Rooney finished the New York City marathon. His "Mikey Strong charity hockey game" has raised over $400,000 for the Nichols Family Trust as well as the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation, which is dedicated to curing spinal cord injury and improving the quality of life for individuals living with paralysis.

Nichols, a former intern on my radio show, believes that he will someday walk again and to know him and the kind of person he is, it hard not to believe him. In the meantime, he already stands taller than most men I know.