麻豆视频

Jacob Wasacase (18) has recently achieved success on the football field having signed a contract on June 1 with the Vancouver Island Raiders.

Wasacase may have grown up in Regina, but he has ties to both White Bear First Nation and Kahkewistahaw First Nation through his parents. His father Shawn Wasacase is from Kahkewistahaw, while his mother Donna Sebastian is from White Bear. Sebastian has recently returned home to help take care of aging family and the ties Jacob has remain strong with his family in the area as well.

Jacob's story isn't like most. He always had a knack for sports, excelling first in hockey, then rugby, and finally turning to football, but there were unforeseen challenges that he has had to overcome.

He played hard and strived to be the best he could be, laying everything on the field when he stepped on to compete.

Last year, at 17-years-old, Jacob suffered from a virus, which neurologists told Sebastian was attacking the personality part of Jacob's brain.

"I knew something was wrong the first day he was complaining about headaches, a sore neck, and really tired and I kept him home that Monday [the next day] he was totally different his behaviour, his personality, and the doctor said the virus was where the personality part of the brain was. By the third day he couldn't even walk"

His father added, "That was a nasty time, it was quite a shocker. That morning when I saw him he was perfectly fine and then Donna called while I was on the road and said there was something wrong."

After spending five weeks in the hospital, Jacob relearned how to walk and was back to normal by the end of his stay, though the neurologist did tell him to keep away from contact sports for awhile.

"The neurologist said no sports for awhile but that didn't stop him though, he still went and played rugby" Sebastian explained, clearly not pleased that he went against doctors orders but proud of him too. "He refused to be told that we're going to keep you down..."

Though discharged from the hospital and stubbornly continuing to play sports, it was something he simply needed to do after having to learn how to walk again and being in the hospital for five weeks.

During this time the Regina Thunder had approached him, but the neurologist couldn't sign off on Jacob playing with them because he was still healing.

"he was pretty choked when the doctor wouldn't sign the waiver when the head coach of the Thunder wanted him. He told him, that was like in April, 'You can't, you need to heal,'" Donna explained.

"My grade 12 year, coming out of high school, I had a couple teams approach me: the Saskatoon Hilltops, the Regina Thunder, and a Rams coach talked to me too," Jacob explained. "Once they found out I was in the hospital though they kind of just gave up on me."

This was extremely disheartening for the young man, but Jacob continued to persist.

"I had the bird flu or meningitis, they're still not sure and I don't know, but it kind of ruined my dreams," Jacob stated.

"The following year, I worked out, I watched [teams] practice, it was tough but I got through it."

A year after, as he attempted to get back to football, he received an invitation to the Vancouver Island Raiders spring camp where he would be able to prove himself on the field.

"He worked extremely hard after," Shawn stated. "He stuck to his guns and waited for the season to come around again. I'm very proud that Vancouver Island called him. We knew he was going to play football somewhere."

"he proved that you can pick yourself up, he was determined to do it again and he did," his mother proudly stated.

The spring invitational camp was followed with a contract for Jacob, which on June 1st, was excitedly signed by the young man.

The next step for the family is to ensure Jacob's dreams come true, which will come with fundraising for costs associated with being on a junior football team away from home.

"We're going to be doing some fundraising for him, we're thinking of doing a ball hockey tournament in Carlyle because it costs a lot of money," Sebastian explained. "He can only work part time because he needs to be in the gym twice a day and needs to do his training on the field, then he has school, and promotional stuff. He has a very heavy schedule and working part time just [isn't enough]."

Overcoming difficulties is something Jacob has had experience in and he will continue to move forward despite obstacles that may attempt to stand in his way.

"I'll be going to school there, I'll be there until the end of the season which is in November because I plan on winning a championship."

A championship may be possible as last year the VI Raiders took on the Regina Thunder in the Canadian Junior Football League (CJFL) championship.

Jacob will also be joined on the VI Raiders by fellow southeast Saskatchewanian, Tyler Hodgson of Estevan.