TORONTO -- In the 14 years since his father became a complete paraplegic in a hunting accident, Kevin Rempel has had to overcome immense personal adversity.
Now the former Canadian sledge hockey player is sharing his experiences in an emotional book.
Rempel's autobiography "Still Standing," released July 15 on Amazon.com, chronicles his debilitating injury, family tragedy and realizing his dream of playing for his country at the Sochi Paralympics.
"When I look through this book, I think there's a lot of heavy chapters, there's a lot of raw (stuff) in here," Rempel said recently at a downtown Toronto cafe. "But that is what it is. I could not write my book lightly. I could not write it and pretend it was easy. I could not tell my story and give you the perception that I didn't have immense hurdles to overcome."
In 2006, Rempel crashed his motocross bike while attempting to jump a 75-foot gap between two ramps. He suffered a broken back, fractured pelvis and a few fractured ribs. Doctors told him he would never walk again.
Following months of recovery and rehabilitation, Rempel started to slowly walk. One year to the day of his accident, the now 33-year-old jumped back on a dirt bike to celebrate.
Just under two weeks after his moment of celebration, however, Rempel would be faced with yet another challenge. His father Gerald, who was heavily depressed due to his own injury, finally took his own life after contemplating suicide on several occasions.
Writing that chapter stands out as being particularly difficult.
"The sad part is, and it sounds so horrible to say, and I'm feeling emotions just thinking about it now ... my dad talked about suicide for so long ... it felt like a relief. I hate admitting that," Rempel said. "And I don't mean it in a relief that I wanted him to do it. But he was so uncomfortable for so long and we were so uncomfortable hearing about it, that you're on pins and needles forever.
"I want to make it incredibly clear for people to know that's not the answer to your problems, there is a way out, because I've got to that low point of doing what my dad did on a couple of occasions."
Rempel's continued recovery led him to sledge hockey, which he picked up playing in 2008. He worked his way onto the Canadian national team following the 2010 Paralympics in Vancouver and won a gold medal at the 2013 world championships.
At the Sochi 2014 Paralympics, Rempel, who was born in St. Catharines, Ont., and now lives in Toronto, tied for second in team scoring with six assists as Canada captured bronze.
He played one more year in 2014-15, but didn't make the Canadian roster this past season.
"I was convinced that I was never going to go play another season after Sochi," Rempel said. "I felt like I had accomplished what I wanted to in what I thought would be my career."
Through teammate Billy Bridges' wife Sami Jo Small, Rempel discovered book coach Les Kletke, who assisted him in writing "Still Standing."
And although sledge hockey is still a major part of Rempel's life, it's not the sole focus of the book, which was released on the 10-year anniversary of his accident.
"This is not a hockey book, this is a human journey book that has examples about hockey," Kletke said in a recent interview.
Rempel, who plans on writing three more books, said the message he wants to portray in "Still Standing" is to "never give up, and if I can do it, you can do it."
"I've had so many reasons to give up. I wanted to disappear the day my dad got hurt. I could have given up the day I had my injury," he said.
"But what I keep reminding myself of is if I've made it (this far) ... I can get through this point and this point as well."
