Coronavirus is NJ: Mike Nichols, trying to stay alive, has a simple request of others – Asbury Park Press

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Mike Nichols spent 10 days in Penn Medicine Princeton Medical Center in March battling pneumonia. The infection that fills the lungs with fluid sends manypeople to the hospital, but the prognosis is generally good for the average, healthy person.

Nichols, 23, had a tougher time.

As a hockey player for Monroe High School in 2014, he broke his C5 vertebrae and was instantly paralyzed. Because of the injury, his lungs werent able to properly expel the phlegm forming, making an extended hospital stay necessary.

With the coronavirus pandemic ripping its way through the country, people like Nichols are at a greater risk. If Nichols were to catch the virus, he knows what could happen.

If I were to catch the coronavirus, to put it as blunt as possible, I would probably die, Nichols said. I was in the hospital for 10 days just with pneumonia. While its bad for anyone, it usually doesnt put you in the hospital for that long.

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Mikey Nichols and Joe Rooney will do the New York City Marathon this year. Rooney taught Nichols at Monroe High School where Nichols played on the ice hockey team. He was paralyzed playing. (Photo: Peter Ackerman PAPP)

Against that backdrop, Nichols requestis simple: stay home. Most of the healthy people who catch coronavirus fight it off without hospitalization, but those people could pass it on to others with compromised immune systems or otherbodily functions. Nichols notes that those are the people at the greatest risk.

If the average person catches it, they might not even show symptoms, and thats great, but the thing thats so scary about it is how contagious it is and how easily it can be passed, Nichols said. Unless you have to go out or youre an essential worker, stay home, please.

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Nichols admitted it upsets him when he sees people not taking social distancing seriously. He referenced Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis decision to reopen some beaches under certain restrictions. He likened it to taking off a bandage while youre still bleeding or stopping an antibiotic regiment the moment you feel better.

It bothers me, but I cant control other people. Theres so much out of my hands, but I wish I could tell them to stop being selfish and think of the greater good, Nichols said. I dont think its smart for people going back out and not taking social distancing seriously, but thats their risk. If their willing to accept the responsibility and accept the blame if they catch it and pass it on, thats up to them, but I know I wouldnt want that on my conscience.

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Nichols talks with fans prior to the game. Boomer Esiason and Craig Carton of WFAN host the Mikey Strong NHL alumni game at the Ice World sports complex in Middletown. The game is a benefit for Mikey Nichols who suffered a C-5 fracture during a game for Monroe High School. Middletown, NJ Saturday, February 7, 2015 Doug Hood/Staff Photographer @dhoodhood(Photo: Staff Photographer, Gannett)

While New Jersey remains under a strict lockdown, Nichols is staying extra cautious. He was living on his own for the first time in New Brunswick while attending Rutgers University, but moved back home with his parents after the school shut down, his first taste of independent living quickly taken away. The communication and journalism major istaking online classes.

He only leaves the house to walk his dog. His neighbors know about his injury and say hello at a distance.

The sixth annual Mikey Strong Charity Hockey Game, Nichols fundraising event that works in conjunction with WFAN and the New Jersey Devils, had to be canceled. Donations can still be made to the Reeve Foundation, a group dedicated to the treatment and research of spinal chord injuries.

Nichols is also unable to attend his physical rehabilitation. Hes looking into acquiring at hand cycle for his house. He can move his arms and torso enough to raise his hand in class, and he wants to keep making progress.

But like many, Nichols is stuck inside, waiting for the novel coronavirus to pass. Hes watching Netflix, meditating and listeningto music, which he calls his therapy.

People say they feel trapped inside, and I say I feel like Im trapped in a body, Nichols said. Everyone is a little paralyzed, everyone is trapped.

He has nurses who come to his parents house to help him with his daily tasks. Countless doctors, nurses and medical professionals have aided Nichols with his recovery over the last six years. He holds those working to fight coronavirus and treat the infected in the highest regard.

They are the superheroes, Nichols said. I know from firsthand experience that without them, we would be in the dark. They save lives every single say. Theyll save another persons life while giving their own. That is the most courageous act.

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Nichols injury occurred during a hockey game when a body check sent him crashing head-first into the dasher boards. The violent collision left him paralyzed, but he vowed to make a triumphant return to the ice.

"That ice I couldn't get up from the other night, I'm going back to it," Nichols told MyCentralJersey.com at the time. "I'm going to stand up on that ice."

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Nichols underwent surgery the next day at Morristown Medical Center, where he remained hospitalized in intensive care for more than five weeks before being transferred to The Center for Spinal Cord Rehabilitation at The Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation in West Orange.

Nichols, who returned home five months later, was able to breathe on his own after needing a ventilator for months. He initially gained some movement of both wrists and the ability to wiggle his left thumb.

People around the world are suffering. Many are facing tough battles. Nichols knows all about those battles. Through it all, Nichols remains positive in the face of adversity.

To people who are sick, the only thing I can say is whatever good vibes or good energy you have inside of you, you need to channel that, Nichols said. You need to block out the negative and focus on baby steps, mini-achievements. Little wins for a big victory.

Danny LoGiudice has covered local sports across New Jersey since 2014. Contact him at dlogiudice@gannettnj.com or@danny_logiudice on Twitter.

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Coronavirus is NJ: Mike Nichols, trying to stay alive, has a simple request of others - Asbury Park Press