CFL Football Legend Tells How He Got His Life Back
By Scott A. Sumner
Thunder Bay Business
Each year in Thunder Bay the Industrial Accident Prevention Association of Ontario holds a major conference at the Valhalla Inn. The IAPA is funded through the WSIB and this conference, Forum North happening this week, is the largest regional Health and Safety Conference in the province with over 400 delegates every year. It is supported by 8 of the safety board associations in the province and is a great partnership. They have a strong sense of community in the North and the corporate sponsors, all the staff and 650 volunteers across the province pitch in and help. We have local volunteers here that help put on the forum and we couldnt do it with out them, states Michael Abermight is Vice President of Operations for IAPA based in Toronto with 4 regional offices across Ontario including Thunder Bay.
he participants come from all over NW Ontario and everything started with Terry Evanshen, former CFL player as the keynote speaker who shared his tragic story but also a story of hope for the future. We will have many seminars through out the three days and over 50 exhibits as well in a trade show, notes Abermight. The participants all paid about $250.00 to attend. This is the 24th year and we continue to have strong support. The winners are the delegates who attend from sharing their best practices, learning more and applying it back to the workplace after they leave here.
We have had good responses from our delegates. Every year we have a survey that goes out and they tell that this is one of the best conferences in the province from content and networking to sharing with others.
Terry Evanshen, age 62, and former CFL football star was keynote speaker at the event and gave his personal story of completing losing his life and memory in a car crash and coming all the way back to a successful career in speaking, writing a book and having a TV movie made of his life.
Evanshen played in the CFL for 14 years starting with Montreal, Calgary back to Montreal and then Hamilton and Toronto. He was a receiver and left numerous records there to be beaten. Born in 1944 in St Charles in Montreal, Evanshen played all the sports including hockey and basketball. He got a sports scholarship in 1962 and went to Utah State.
July 4, 1988 I was in an car accident and became in a coma for a month. I lost oxygen to part of my brain for 4 minutes so ended up with retrograde amnesia, couldnt remember my past and have short term memory failure. If I don't write it down I wont remember it tomorrow so I had to retrain myself to learn to speak again etc, states Terry Evanshen. It was a long process and has been a long struggle. I had to trust people most importantly my wife and daughters as they were my stabilizer in the first five years. I didnt know who I was or where I was- zero - nothing.
Evanshen wrote a book in 2000 with June Callwood to tell his story. A movie was done last year and it was the most watched movie in 2005 on CTV network. Wendy Crewson won the Gemini award as best actress playing Evanshens wife.
Today is today and I am going to give you everything I can today. It is a relearning experience being able to communicate with people again and tell them my story of how I had to restructure my life. I was somebody in my first life and ended up a nobody in the second one learning how to make the most of each day and be productive so there is a purpose. I look at it this way. I was an entertainer in my first life and now I entertain the possibilities in each person, smiles Evanshen. If there wasnt someone watching over me I wouldnt be here today. The right people were in the right spot and the timing was right.
Ever since I stopped football Im in the best shape of my life. I do fitness almost everyday- shoulders Mondays and Fridays, chest Tuesdays and Thursdays and legs Wednesday and Saturdays. Monday to Saturday it is cardio for 1 hour on the bike, 6 days a week, noted Evanshen. I have to have a book that tells me what I do tomorrow. Also I have to complete the task. If I have to stay 5 hours to do the job I will as I dont follow time.
What does Terry Evanshen think is the most important thing to do in life?
It is very simple. You can only do the best that you can- so do the best that you can constantly and whatever happens will happen. You cant control fate or mother nature. The person you have control over is yourself and those in your team. Make sure everybody is on the same page and we are working the same goal. Stay on top of it 24/ 7.
