Help Hockey Coach Stephane's Healing Journey

On the evening of June 19th, 2024, Stephane Veilleux was in a two-car accident. At first, it didn't seem like much more than a typical fender bender, but it quickly escalated when Steph began to have severe pain in his neck and was taken to HCMC. The medical team jumped into action. After x-rays and scans, the medical team determined that Steph had fractured his C1 vertebrae in two different places, which further complicated an already very serious injury. Fortunately and probably only by the hand of God, Steph’s spinal cord was not damaged. After some careful review of the three viable options, the medical team determined that the best course of treatment to protect the spinal cord was to immediately immobilize via a halo vest. There will be a long recovery ahead for Steph and his family as he will wear the halo vest for the next 3 months before the medical team can determine the next course of action.

Stephane is a youth hockey coach and on-ice instructor for players ranging from youth to NHL. Steph also works for the Little Wild Program, which does a lot of community outreach. Hockey, as a vehicle to train athletes on the ice and for life, is his passion. Even as he lay in his bed at HCMC, he talked about being disappointed that he wasn't going to be able to help his players. There are a lot of unknowns ahead for the Veilleux. Our hope is that we can help remove some of the uncertainty with this page.