SPOTSWOOD — The Immaculate Conception Carnival will feature Mikey Night in support of Mike Nichols during the five-night fundraiser for the Catholic school.
Seventeen months ago, Mike sustained an injury to the C5 vertebra in his neck during a hockey game against Vernon High School.
He has since returned to his home in Monroe Township, attends physical therapy regularly, and promotes awareness and research for spinal cord injuries alongside the Christopher and Dana Reeves Foundation.
Paul Mastrobuoni, chairman of Immaculate Conception’s activities committee and a Monroe resident, said Mikey Night is one component of the church’s goal to give back to the community that supports them.
“We’re not successful without the help of the community,” Mastrobuoni said. “We want to take it another step … and tie something into it that affects community.”
Mikey Night will be held on June 10, and a portion of the proceeds from carnival rides will go to support the Nichols foundation, Mastrobuoni said. Carnival shirts featuring the number 23, which Mike wore on the ice, will also be for sale at the event.
Mike’s mother, Christine Nichols, said the ongoing support of the surrounding communities has been so important to her family.
“I feel humbled by all of the support that my son is getting,” Nichols said. “It’s amazing how everyone has supported him and come together.
“We feel so blessed. You know, something tragic happened to my family and happened to my son, but the support we’ve gotten and what people have done for us is amazing.”
Since his injury, the Monroe Township hockey player has focused on building his strength and trying to help others who have experienced similar injuries.
“He is constantly talking to people about it, because he understands that he doesn’t want to be in the chair forever, but the only way he is going to get out of the chair is if everybody gets out of the chair,” Nichols said. “This is not a one-person battle. Everybody has to work together for this to happen.
“It helps him when he thinks that he can make a difference for somebody else. It pushes him to do better.”
In April, Mike began a neurorecovery therapy program, founded and funded by the Reeves foundation, in which he stands on a treadmill and therapists move his legs for him.
Each session lasts 2 1/2 hours — a large workload for Mike — but Nichols said after the first 20 sessions, the therapy is already paying dividends.
“After 20 sessions, you get evaluated,” Nichols said. “Mike was evaluated last Friday, and he’s improved in five areas. It’s making a big difference.”
According to Nichols, Mike’s balance and core strength were among the most substantially improved aspects of his health since he first began the therapy.
In addition, therapists are gaining valuable insight into what is effective and what isn’t, which can be used to inform their decisions with future patients and design more effective therapies, Nichols said.
Mike has only shown more improvement as time goes on, she added.
“The strength of his arm has improved,” Nichols said. “He’s got his whole wrist back on his left arm.”
She added that Mike can lift his left arm over his head now, and movement is also returning to his right side. Mike even passed a driving evaluation, which Nichols said means he will be able to get behind the wheel in the near future.
“The kid has an inner strength — I don’t know where he gets it from,” Nichols said. “I thank God for it. He just keeps pushing himself, and it helps that he has all this support and all of his friends are constantly around him.
“Right now, his No. 1 priority in life is therapy, because he knows the more he works out — the more he pushes — the more he is going to get back.”
The Immaculate Conception Carnival will be held June 9-13 at the school on Manalapan Road, culminating with fireworks the final night.
Bracelets for all-night access to rides are $25 at presale and $30 at the door.
In addition to Mikey Night, the carnival will also donate a portion of Thursday night’s proceeds to support breast cancer research.