(Editor's Note: Everybody at Lakehead Athletics and Lakehead Hockey extend their best wishes to Sebastien, his family, and his team during this difficult time) CIS: OTTAWA: OCT. 25, 2005: At the request of the parents of Sbastien Savage, a student athlete and member of the men's hockey team Les Aigles Bleus, the Universit de Moncton is issuing to the media by means of a news release information concerning the injury that Sbastien sustained during the Saturday, October 22, hockey game at the J.-Louis-Lvesque arena at the Moncton campus.
According to the information provided by the doctors, Sbastien never lost consciousness and was immediately brought to the Dr. Georges L. Dumont Hospital emergency department where it was confirmed that his upper and lower extremities were paralysed. The diagnosis of a major fracture of the fifth cervical vertebra with displacement was also confirmed. Sbastien was then transferred to the Moncton City Hospital where surgery was performed to remove all the fragments of the vertebra, install a bone graft and a plate with screws to stabilize the spine. Sbastien is resting in stable condition in the neuro-surgical intensive care unit of the Moncton City Hospital and will be transferred on a permanent basis to Ottawa when his condition permits.
The parents have decided to provide this information so that all those affected by this tragedy as well as the general public know exactly the state of Sbastien's health. They have chosen to do so by means of a news release only and they count on the media's continued cooperation in respecting their privacy.
Sbastien's parents, Sylvie and Sylvain Savage, his older sister, Sophie, and his twin brother, Stphane, said they wish to thank all those who have sent words of encouragement and support, from Ontario, New Brunswick and elsewhere.
They also want to thank the hospitals, the Universit de Moncton and the Aigles Bleus hockey team and the friends of the team for their assistance and support.
The 24-year old athlete is a native of Saint-Albert, a community close to
Ottawa, Ontario.