“Very mentally difficult”
Paraplegic ex-professional wrestles with drive
January 30, 2024, 10:37 a.m
A year after his serious accident, the ex-ice hockey professional Glemser fights every day for small successes in physiotherapy. Paralyzed and yet full of willpower, he faces the challenge of regaining control of his body. His girlfriend Lara supports him as a steadfast pillar.
Former ice hockey player Mike Glemser, who has been paralyzed since an accident almost a year ago, is struggling to make progress in his rehabilitation. “It’s going too slow for me,” said the former Starbulls Rosenheim player with a laugh. “Sometimes you have to reflect on the small progress. But in a long process you don’t always see it so easily.”
On February 3, 2023, Glemser crashed head first into the boards after a duel in the league game between the Starbulls and SC Riessersee. The Stuttgart native broke his fourth and fifth cervical vertebrae. Since the accident he has been unable to move his arms and legs.
“It’s mentally very difficult. If you’re always trying to control your body by hook or by crook, but nothing happens, then it’s pretty tiring for your head,” said the 26-year-old Glemser at the meeting in Pforzheim, where he is now not far away his rehabilitation clinic lives.
“You always have this thought: Am I really doing everything to make things better? I have to have the impression in the evening: Things may not be progressing the way I want, but at least I’m doing everything I can to make it happen. I would never forgive myself if I wouldn’t give it my all.” Glemser’s goal is to “get back on my feet to some extent.”
Declaration of love for girlfriend
His girlfriend Lara Lindmayer is his great support. “It’s hard to put into words what Lara does. It’s unbelievable. I’m endlessly grateful for what she does. I can’t thank you enough, it’s extraordinary,” said Glemser, who was with her just a few months before his accident Lindmayer had come together.
“We only had a very short time to ourselves before the accident, during which we couldn’t really say how we really felt about each other. On the day of the accident, I realized how much I loved him and what he meant to me.” said Lindmayer. “I still see him as the same person. We got to know each other in a completely different way, much more vulnerable, but we also discovered the great strength in each other.”