Last week Nicolai learned that his coach had selected him as a co-captain of the varsity wrestling team.

Today he learned that he will never wrestle again.

Last season he suffered from a number of “stingers” which caused his arms to go numb. A visit to the neurologist today revealed from his MRI scans that he has two bulging discs between the vertebrae in his neck (C4/C5 and C5/C6) that are impinging on his spinal cord. A further bulging or herniation of either disc could result in permanent loss of feeling in his arms or paralysis. The doctor reassured Nico that his current situation is stable but felt the risk of continuing to wrestle was unacceptably high given the potential consequences.

We were all despondent over the news. Wrestling is the one sport in which Nico felt he could compete on equal footing (no pun intended) because his limited mobility and leverage were equally offset by his greater upper body strength at any given weight class. I left work early and spent hours pouring over his MRIs and doing research on the internet. Initially, I thought it would make sense to get a second opinion but the damage to his neck is apparent even to my untrained eye.

A door has closed today for Nico. Despite our sorrow, we can only be thankful that we learned of this situation before an even more tragic outcome ensued. Although Nico has had to shoulder more than his fair share of burden, it has made him exactly the indomitable person he is today. We are hopeful that he will rise above this setback and that it will only further strengthen his mighty spirit.