You’ve heard the story by now. Former UCLA offensive lineman Nick Ekbatani (2006-2009) was involved in a gruesome motorcycle accident which saw his skull fractured, his femur broken and, ultimately, a portion of his left leg amputated. At the time of the police’s arrival on the scene, Ekbatani was pronounced 90 percent dead. That’s a one-in-ten chance of living; your odds are better playing Russian Roulette.
But Ekbetani has defied the odds and is now in stable condition.
The accident and the end result are both awful; a dude who has yet to reach the age of 26 — a very athletic one, mind you — may not live the same life he had planned on living. But the dude’s a gutty-ass Bruin, and according to friends and family, he’ll power on and be happy:
"Kim Macedo is certain his best friend, Amir “Nick” Ekbatani, will win several medals in a future Paralympics.“I’m sure he will live a happy, full life and be happy with telling people, `It’s OK, you can live a full life if you want to,”‘ Macedo said."
This is damn good to hear, considering Ekbatani was a few moments away from death. People don’t just survive these things everyday. Yet Ekbatani willed himself into recovery, and the support from the UCLA family has been incredible.
Needless to say, we’re thankful Ekbatani — tough-as-nails bastard he must be — is doing extremely well, considering the circumstances. Perseverance is always remarkable to witness, and even more so when the consequence of lacking it is death.
So cheers, Nick Ekbatani. We’re praying that you keep trucking.
GO BRUINS!!!
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