Tim Bozon looks back on his drama: “March 1 could be the day of my death”

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“So that’s my story.” Tim Bozon just spent an hour talking about his accident. Before the interview he said: “I don’t really like interviews.” But something changed his mind: the word meningitis. On March 1, 2014, he was hospitalized with severe meningitis. “March 1 could be the day of my death.”

As the story progresses, the striker alternates between moments of self-awareness and grim moments about what he’s been through: “When I fell into a coma, my chance of survival was five to six percent.”

February 28, 2014. On this day, Tim Bozon played a Canadian Junior League game. «The time immediately after the match is the last moment I remember. I was told everything that happened next until I woke up from the coma. That evening I wasn’t feeling well, felt a bit feverish and suddenly felt restless and restless. And then? Nothing anymore.”

“See a man completely emaciated”

After a few days in a kind of twilight state, he falls into a coma. “When I see the photos again, I feel sorry for myself.” These moments are there, stored on his mobile phone. He has no problem talking about the photos. «When I look at her I don’t cry, but it touches me. I see a man who is completely emaciated. That’s really difficult.” In mid-March he was gently woken from his sleep.

He admits that after the coma he lost his patience, but paradoxically it was precisely this quality that he needed to become a high-level professional again. Despite the month-long hospital stay, Tim Bozon was ready to start the next season shortly afterwards. A feat that only a strong character can achieve.

The NHL’s dream

Before he got sick, Tim Bozon had a clear path ahead of him. The Montreal Canadiens’ draft pick (2012, No. 64) was destined for the NHL. But his plans were thrown overboard. “Meningitis and coma are one thing. But it was mainly the reconstruction period that thwarted my plans. During this time, my body was unable to develop as it normally would.” In the months he spent making up for lost time and rebuilding his lost muscles, the other talents his age took further steps towards the NHL.

Time heals wounds. But the sour taste of the missed opportunity returns every now and then in the form of an unstoppable longing. «If my mother heard me say that, she would definitely slap me in the face (laughs). For them, the most important thing is that I am alive and healthy.” Of course, he is also aware that he has been lucky. “I play ice hockey and love this sport deeply and intensely.” This also shows on the ice. This season he has already surpassed his record for points (28) and goals (16).

Tim Bozon turns 30 on March 24. He doesn’t see the ten-year milestone as an opportunity to start a new chapter. But perhaps it is an opportunity to take stock and look ahead. Today Tim Bozon looks back on this decade with a lot of philosophy, humility and distance. He had the right to be angry. And he probably was. Often. ‘Life is hard and unfair. I know what I’m talking about. Life has shattered a dream I had in mind all my life. I had a plan A and now I have to find my plan B. This has been my life for ten years.”

Source : Blick