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Normally the officials for a BCHL hockey game in January wouldn’t be too notable for fans, but that certainly wasn’t the case last weekend.
On Saturday, Jan. 15, Braiden Epp took to the ice as a referee for a game between the Cowichan Valley Capitals and Alberni Valley Bulldogs.
It was the 25-year-old’s first game in eight months after his world was turned upside down in May 2021 when he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS).
His return came in the same rink where he was officiating games in the BCHL’s pod season and started to notice a strange sensation in his legs while on the ice.
As the problem persisted last spring, Epp knew something was wrong, but he was turned away on two separate occasions at a walk-in clinic.
Finally, he decided enough was enough and drove himself to hospital in Nanaimo and was finally able to see a neurologist that night.
After weeks of tests, Epp received his life-changing diagnosis.
But the former BCHL player, who played four seasons with the Prince George Spruce Kings before finishing his junior career with the West Kelowna Warriors, was not going to back down from this challenge.
He put the officiating on hold and his focus shifted to thinking about how he could spin his diagnosis into something positive.
“I always like to take things as a challenge,” he said. “I’m not going to pout about it. I thought, ‘let’s raise some awareness.'”
Fortunately for him, the MS Society of Canada’s MS Walk was scheduled for just five days after his diagnosis, so Epp launched a social media campaign and raised $30,000 in that short time.
“We just had so much support over that week,” noted Epp. “It was truly amazing to have that kind of support.”
He knew he had a long road ahead of him, but he also set a goal to return to the ice and officiate in the BCHL again.
It certainly wasn’t an easy journey to get to that point, but last Saturday the 25-year-old was able to fulfill that goal and when it happened, he posted a photo to social media and simply said: “I’m back.”
I’m back 🦓 pic.twitter.com/JURbtfn8Yh
— Braiden Epp (@BraidenEpp) January 16, 2022
He told BCHL communications that he had the game marked on his calendar since it was assigned to him, but as the day got closer he got more and more nervous.
“It felt like I was reffing in the NHL, that’s how big of a deal it was for me,” he explained. “There were so many nerves. I was worried. I was scared. All the emotions you could think of, I was going through it.”
While returning to the ice is a major achievement for Epp, it’s been a challenging eight months and MS is not behind him, as it’s something he will deal with for the rest of his life.
His approach has been, and will continue to be, to stay positive, something he said goes a long way even in a battle as daunting as this one.
“You’ve got people in your corner at all times. Just be positive and take it one step at a time. There’s always good you can do. Keep being positive and keep working hard.”
- With files from the BCHL.
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