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His toes aren’t tapping quite yet, but Irish dancer and teacher, Shawn Silver, is slowly recovering! The high-energy performer was smashed up when his vehicle hit a patch of black Ice just outside St. John’s Newfoundland Labrador, Canada’s most eastern Province.

It could have been a lot worse. The brace and cane are visible reminders of Shawn Silver’s close call. He was on his way to the central region of the province one morning early in December 2007 where his dance company was preparing for its Christmas performance. His trip came to a sudden and violent end when Shawn’s SUV hit a patch of black ice and rolled over several times. “I felt like I was in a washing machine, just spinning and bouncing down the road, glass smashing, and things whipping past my face… and then all of a sudden I stopped. The jeep was upside down. Shawn crawled out of his crumpled vehicle, amazed he survived. He looked at the long trench his vehicle made as it plowed through the snow and dirt crossing the highway’s median and saw how close he had come to colliding with oncoming traffic. He also became aware of a throbbing pain in his back, and fell into the snow to ease the pain.

Shawn had broken his back and had pieces of his shattered bones pressing into his spine. “I had a burst fracture in the L1 vertebrae, it’s a pretty serious…and paralysis was a real option.”  Unthinkable for someone like Shawn, one whose daily routine included hours of rigorous practice. He has danced his whole life, professionally for 15 years on stage, film and television, and shares that passion with students at his dance school. Ironically it was his love of Irish dancing that also saved him. “Because I had spent my life dancing, I was very conditioned within my core, and they said it was those strong sinuous fibers that had developed around my spine that saved me and kept my spine from snapping in two, altogether.”

As a result the doctors decided against surgery, which would have included fusing his spine. Instead they opted for complete bed rest and a brace. When you come out of this type of situation—you are faced with death and paralysis—you stop and think about how you rush, this is real life.”
 Spend any time with Shawn and you know he’s not down for long and his recovery is well underway. “For me, now, there’s no heavy lifting, and I’m somewhat limited in my ability, and no cartwheels up and down the hallway just yet!”

Through the support of a team of doctors and staff at the Health Sciences Hospital in St. John’s, close friends and family, Shawn continues to slowly recover. Doctors say he is making progress but it would be up to a year before he would walk let alone dance again. But through sheer determination, and a testament to active healthy living, Shawn’s body was able to recover almost 100 percent—only five months after the accident. Shawn credits his family and friends who helped him survive the ordeal.

Shawn has high praise for his long time dance partner, Coleen Dunn Pickard. He says, “She is a tireless worker and my closest advisor and friend. Coleen is also associate director of my company iDance. She took over the running of the schools and on top of it, assisted me with my daily household chores and daily living, which had become impossible for me.
 
He says he’s used to aching and the pain is something dancers live with. However posttraumatic stress is not something the doctors prepare anyone for. “It’s something very real and something that takes its toll on the victim and the people around [him]. This is the true test of faith. It’s during these times, we find out our true friends. I still have nightmares about the accident and I know that will subside in time. I am living life with a new perspective and a whole new appreciation for life and all the joys life can bring. We are continually learning about ourselves and the world around us as we are faced with unthinkable challenges.”

He always thought dancing was his mission in life, and while he was temporarily sidelined, he knew it would be more than a broken back to keep him down.
“While the back is healing, my spirit remains strong.” Pain is subjective,” said Shawn. “For someone else perhaps this would mean being bedridden. I am doing everything I have to do to remain healthy and continue with my mission of dancing and growing Newfoundland’s profile of arts and cultural spirit in the world.”