By MADDIE COOK
LYNNFIELD — AJ Quetta was a skilled and promising hockey player at Bishop Feehan High School.
AJ suffered a traumatic spinal cord injury on Jan. 26, 2021. AJ was injured when he had a head-on-hit into the boards, which resulted in the young player being paralyzed from the neck down.
Quetta’s perseverance has touched the hockey community near and far. The Lynnfield High School boys’ hockey team recently held a fundraiser where the Pioneers sold squares for the NFL’s AFC and NFC championship games.
The team, under the leadership of captains Lucas Cook, Drew Damiani and assistant captains Nick Lucich and Joe Raffa, decided that they should donate some of the profits to a worthy cause. They unanimously agreed AJ’s Army was where the funds should be donated.
AJ is currently focused on his intense treatment, so the team was unable to meet with him in person until recently. AJ has actually been receiving specialized stem cell treatment in Columbia and the family has traveled there several times with the goal of him being able to walk again. The captains wanted to make the trip to meet with him in person.
Damiani, Lucich and Lucas Cook made the trip to his rehabilitation facility, Journey Forward, where he engages in intensive rehab four days a week.
The three captains met AJ on the South Shore and gifted him with a check for $2,500 and a Pioneer hockey T-shirt. The boys said that AJ was grateful for the generous donation and T-shirt, and was touched that people still remember his story.
In December 2021, AJ rejoined the Bishop Feehan team as an assistant coach. He was thrilled that the job brought him back to the game he loved. He will continue to inspire and motivate hockey players for years to come.
The LHS boys’ hockey team and individual players received many accolades this season, but the captains said what they felt that day was by far the greatest.
“Keep AJ in your thoughts,” said Lucas, Drew and Nick.
If people would like to contribute to AJ’s cause, donations can be sent to https://ajsarmy.com/.