The Drumheller Dragons were proud to welcome 2014 War Amps Safety Ambassador Roan Heck to the Drumheller Memorial Arena on Tuesday, April 15. Heck represented Transcanada Pipeline as he, along with siblings Cole and Gabby, dropped the ceremonial puck at our Game #4 of the AJHL Gas Drive Cup Championships.
Roan Heck is 5 years old and an Above-Knee Amputee. He lost his leg in a lawn mower accident in 2010. He was flown by STARS to the Alberta Children’s Hospital and through his recovery received 6 blood transfusions, overcame bone infection, a broken femur, and endured 9 surgeries including a muscle transplant from his back to use on the end of his stump and skin grafting. Shortly after his accident he joined the War Amps CHAMP program. In no time he was walking, then running and hasn’t looked back.
At the age of 5 Roan has already played a year of hockey, learnt how to ski, rides sheep at the rodeo and is starting baseball. You may recognize Roan on TV with the Calgary Stampeders. He was named the “2014 National Safety Ambassador” for the War Amps and filmed the Play Safe Commercial that came out during the Grey Cup and will continue to air on TSN until Grey Cup 2015. Roan is an avid hockey fan and is thrilled to come drop the puck for the Dragons with his siblings, Cole (12) and Gabby (10) – who all hockey players in Stettler.