Brandon, MB (CKLQ) – It’s been a long off-season for Brandon Wheat Kings defenseman Garrett Sambrook.
The now 17-year-old spent half the summer training for the 2017-2018 WHL season, and the other half in the doctors office.
On February 24, 2017, following a 4-3 loss in Lethbridge, Sambrook suffered a seizure on the team bus.
Wheat Kings Athletic Therapist Chris Trivieri quickly put his medical training to work and tended to Sambrook while an ambulance was called.
That would spell the end of the season for the rookie rear-guard.
In the weeks that followed, a series of MRI’s and appointments with doctors and specialists ensued. It was determined that Sambrook had a benign tumor on the left temporal lobe of his brain.
This tumor is what had caused the seizures, and a series of strange behaviours in the weeks leading up to the bus trip.
"Looking back on it, I just swept things under the rug," said Sambrook. "You talk to some of the guys now and there were some pretty strange things that happened."
Strange things including blank stares, memory loss and weakness.
An MRI in early August, cleared Sambrook for a return to the Wheat Kings and he couldn’t be more excited.
"Last year with all the problems at the end of the season, and looking back on how things weren’t right during the year, coming back healthy has me excited for this season."
While the tumor hasn’t grown since the intial MRI and isn’t cancerous, Sambrook has to maintain a strict medication regiment to keep his symptoms under control.
"Live and learn I guess," added Sambrook. "I know how to take these things (Pills) and I know how to look after myself with them now."
He says in the weeks leading up to training camp, teammate Meyer Nell put together a training plan for him and allowed him to get back into shape.
Sambrook is expected to be on the ice for fitness testing on tomorrow.
