The first thing Nathan Demian remembers was the sound.
A sudden 鈥減op鈥 鈥 the kind of sound that, if you鈥檝e never been shot before, you don鈥檛 know how to place. But now he does know. In the parking lot of his apartment, a stone鈥檚 throw from the stairs, he turned to his younger brother Joel and said, "I think I got shot."
Just a couple of hours earlier, they had been celebrating Ohio State's 3-0 win over Wake Forest that sent the Buckeyes to the College Cup. Joel, a DI soccer player himself at Indiana, had come to Columbus to support Nathan in the quarterfinals. Riding the high of a dominant victory, the brothers set out for a late-night celebratory pizza. Suddenly, that victory was a world away. A stray bullet had ripped through Nathan鈥檚 abdomen, and what followed was a whirlwind of ambulances, worried friends and family and a fight for his life. Nathan had no idea the severity of what just had happened to him. All he could say to the paramedics was, 鈥淧lease save me."
For a person who had spent his entire life dedicated to being a top-tier athlete, the sudden shift from the highest high to the lowest low was disorienting. Caught by a stray bullet from a crossfire in a drive-by shooting, Nathan, a redshirt junior and starting defender, was suddenly facing an opponent he couldn't outrun or outmaneuver.
A miracle in the operating room
The initial outlook was dire. Doctors believed the bullet had destroyed Nathan's intestines, leaving him with only 108 centimeters of usable small intestine. A person needs at least 120 centimeters to live a normal life and eat solid food. Without it, he would be forced to rely on a feeding tube for the rest of his life.
While Nathan was in surgery, his family went to the site of the shooting, to forgive the shooter. While they were praying, a doctor called with an incredible discovery: they had found 300 centimeters of usable intestine. Joel Demian described the moment as a "miracle," getting the phone call that his brother had triple the amount of intestine they expected. It was such a monumental moment that the doctor had to leave the room mid surgery to make the call and ease the family's mind.
Nathan woke up two days later, laid on his back, unable to move and unable to speak. He had no idea how much time had passed or or how close he was to going over that sideline between life and death. A nurse asked him what music he would like to listen to and handed him a piece of paper to write and all he wrote was two words: Final Four. Nathan was shot in the early hours of Sunday, Dec. 8, The Buckeyes were scheduled to take on Marshall that Friday for a chance at the national title.
"I felt like I was going to play," Nathan said. "It was kind of a moment I almost don't remember, but will never forget."
鈥 Ohio State Men鈥檚 Soccer (@OhioStateMSOC)
An unlikely comeback
Nathan has dealt with some medical hiccups in his athletic career before, but he said this rehab was tougher than his two previous knee surgeries combined. The Buckeye defender lost 30 pounds, his weight dropping from 165 to 135. He had four surgeries and three complications after the incident, each one sending him back to the hospital for a period of time. He described the process as grueling and intense. He couldn't eat, he could barely move 鈥 and worst of all he feared that this would be his new reality.
One of the hardest setbacks was a stomach bug he contracted that lasted a month and a half.
"All the progress I had made just evaporated," he said.
It was a devastating blow, both physically and mentally. He had been working so hard, only to see it all erased. It was in these moments of despair that his mental strength was truly tested. He had lonely nights in the hospital, grappling with his anger.
"I was angry at the shooter. I was angry at kind of how everything all played out," Nathan said.
His parents were instrumental in helping him overcome that anger. They helped him shift his mindset from "this sucks" to "how can I get better?" He began to find strength in his faith and a new appreciation for the simple things, like waking up and being able to work out.
He also found motivation in his desire to truly earn his way back on the team. He didn't want to be on the field for a feel-good story, but because he deserved it and had done the work. He was determined to not just return, but to be a key player for his team. His journey was also fueled by the desire to get back to the College Cup and win a national championship for his team.
"The shooter took so much for me, took a chance to win a championship," Nathan said. "It took eight months of my life, took a year of school. It took months of being in the hospital and then not being able to sleep. It took all this stuff, but it's happened. Why would I let him take more?"
Great to see Nathan Demian back on the pitch for 鉂わ笍
鈥 Big Ten Soccer (@B1GSoccer)
The Buckeyes kick off the season tomorrow night at Virginia Tech.
Why he returned
Multiple stays in the hospital, missing a year of classes and half an offseason is enough to make anyone throw in the towel. However, Nathan was motivated by his own set of goals that he was not going to let slip away because of something that was out of his control.
Ohio State head coach Brian Maisonneuve was never surprised by Nathan鈥檚 drive, calling him a natural competitor. Maisonneuve marveled at Nathan's perspective.
"I think he's always been thankful. But when you go through what he went through, you just kind of sit back sometimes, and you're just grateful for everything because it was almost all taken away," he said.
His brother, Joel, transferred to Ohio State from Indiana to be with him and said that going through this with Nathan made them even closer and inspired him more than ever.
The newest member of the Buckeye Family. 馃尠
鈥 Ohio State Men鈥檚 Soccer (@OhioStateMSOC)
Joel Demian joins us after 2锔忊儯 seasons with IU.
"I think everybody, said if anyone can pull this off it's Nate." Maisonneuve said. "Sure enough, you look at him now and he never missed a beat. He had some setbacks. But you know, you talk about his personality, his attitude and like I mentioned, his faith, he just knew it was going to come. Sure enough, he's out there running around like he hasn't missed a beat... when you really step back and look at it, it brings tears to your eyes."
Nathan credits his parents, teammates and the Ohio State athletic staff 鈥 his trainers, strength staff and nutritionist 鈥 for their instrumental support. They provided him with the physical and emotional resources he needed to make it through. His parents and teammates in particular provided constant support in the hospital and the athletic staff created a plan to get him back to full strength. The physical scars are still there 鈥 a long scar down his torso, a bullet wound and surgical incisions. But he refuses to let those define him.
鈥淚 have all these excuses,鈥 he said. 鈥淏ut where does that get me?鈥
"I always kind of go back to the thing where it's like people have been shot the exact same way I was and are no longer here," Nathan said. "So the fact that I'm here and the fact I'm able to play sports again, the fact that I'm able to live a normal life is such a blessing. And, and I kind of almost owe it to everybody who had worked so hard for me, whether it be the doctors or my training staff or my nutritionist, or my strength coach or my physical therapist, my parents, all the surgeons, all the nurses, everybody, my teammates. Like they really put their dreams on hold for me at that time. And and it's something you can never thank them for enough."
