Keith Niebuhr
Special to Rivals High

For two years, he did this without incident.

But on Oct. 4, his life was forever altered.

After suddenly slipping, Daniels - a standout basketball player at Maine's Easton High School - reached for the back of a nearby potato truck. In doing so, he grabbed a conveyer belt and his left hand got stuck. Daniels tried frantically to remove it, but to no avail.

The scene that followed was gruesome.

Bones were crushed. Blood splattered. A nerve was cut.

Rebounding quickly

Sean Daniels is working hard to get back to the basketball player he was before the accident. Check out this photo gallery featuring people from all walks of life who have defeated disablity.

"We were stunned," said Debbie Bartley, Daniels' mother.

Nine weeks later, something remarkable happened. On Dec. 15, with bandages covering the area where his hand and forearm once had been, Daniels played in a junior varsity game against Danforth East Grand - his first game since accident.

And he scored a team-high 11 points.

Daniels has since played five more games and is averaging double figures in points and rebounds. "It's absolutely incredible what he's doing," Easton coach Travis Carter said.

For Daniels, basketball has never been so significant.

It is not just a game anymore.

"I don't think he would have recovered as fast (without basketball)," said Brad Trask, one of Daniels' best friends.

Those closest to Daniels are not surprised by his on-court success. They just didn't figure it would happen so soon after the accident. "It's really amazing watching him play," Trask said.

A self-proclaimed basketball junkie who has played since he was 6, Daniels - now 16 - had a key role as the varsity squad's sixth man during the 2006-07 season. A 6-foot power forward playing in Maine's smallest classification (Easton has only about 70 students), he averaged 10 points and 10 rebounds a game.

"He's very fast," Carter said. "And he actually was my best rebounder. He was one of those guys that knows how to rebound. He was a very good player and was going to start on the varsity this year."

Then the accident occurred.

To Bartley, it's all still a blur. She remembers getting a call at work and trying to decipher what the person on the other end was saying.

"The person on the phone wasn't making much sense," she said.

Before long, Bartley and her husband had left Easton (a town of about 1,250 not far from the Canadian border) and driven three hours south to Bangor's Eastern Maine Medical Center. Later that night, they were joined by Daniels' father, Ronald Daniels, who lives in Vermont.

Bonds of friendship

Since the accident tasks that most people take for granted have become a challenge for Daniels. For help he can lean on his friend Brad Trask who told him, "As long as you play ball, I'll tie your shoes."

All seemed to be going relatively well, but things took a dramatic turn for the worse 24 hours after his initial surgery. Daniels came down with a fever, and doctors then discovered gangrene - a life threatening condition caused by infection. As Daniels sat in his hospital bed, he overheard the physicians telling his family about the severity of the situation.

"They said there were going to try to do something," Daniels said. "But if worse came to worse, they would have to amputate."

A few minutes later, Daniels was asleep.

When he awoke, he noticed someone had placed a towel where his arm and hand once were.

"I didn't want to look," Daniels recalled. "I asked my mom and she told me what had happened."

Daniels tried to be tough. But while sitting alone in his hospital room later that day, everything sank in.

"That," Daniels said, "is when it really hit me."

The Easton community, acting fast and generously, raised more than $7,000 to help the family with medical expenses. It also made sure Daniels wouldn't go it alone during his ordeal. Visitors began showing up at the hospital, one after the other - sometimes dozens at a time.

"I think that really perked him up," Bartley said.

Naturally, Daniels wondered how much in his life would change.

Would people stare?

How long would it take for him to adjust to not having a hand?

But perhaps most important in his mind, Daniels was curious as to when he could return to the basketball court.

"I was hoping I'd be able to play next year," Daniels said.

Turns out, he needed little more than a month.

After spending 12 days in the hospital, Daniels returned home. He was practicing with his teammates three weeks later after being medically cleared.

At first, his balance was off.

Daniels wasn't discouraged. He simply kept working. Soon, his balance returned. As did his shooting touch.

In Daniels' first game since the accident, his mother nervously sat in the stands not knowing what to expect.

Leading the break

Since the accident Sean has been working his way back. In five games since his return he is averaging double figures in points and rebounds, and could be back on the varsity squad next season.

Turns out, she was worried for nothing.

"Sean," Carter said, "has played incredibly well."

This week, more good news is expected.

While in the hospital, Daniels feel behind in class, thus rendering him initially ineligible to play for the varsity squad. That makeup work has been completed, which should clear the way for his promotion.

"I believe I'll use him," Carter said. "He hasn't lost a step."

Today, Daniels talks openly about the accident. When he meets people for the first time, he can sense they don't know what to say when they see his hand is missing, so he usually tells a joke to break the silence.

"I'll say something like, 'Want to touch it?'" he said.

Despite this setback, life is good.

He is doing well in school. Coaches, players and fans of opposing teams bombard him with words of encouragement and praise. And he recently starting dating someone.

Still, there are everyday challenges.

He struggles with things that once were simple.

When Daniels eats, he can't cut anything. Changing into his uniform is difficult. Putting on a necklace is next to impossible. Even tying his shoelaces can be a frustrating task.

"There are some adjustments," Daniels said.

Life, he realizes, will never be the same.

But despite this obvious fact, Daniels matter-of-factly says of his fate, "I've accepted it."

Keith Niebuhr covers high school sports for the St. Petersburg Times