Ohio State soccer player back on field after being shot

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — An Ohio State University soccer player is back on the field playing just eight months after being shot.

“I’ve worked hard in my life for sure, I'll be honest. But this is the hardest I think I’ve ever worked for something," said Nathan Demian, a defender on Ohio State's men's soccer team.

While he plays defense on the field, in life, he is always on offense.

“It was a really intense eight months, but I had a lot of good people around me and I think I attacked it the best way I knew how to do it," Demian said. “I only know one way and that's to work hard and that's try to be the best out there, so we’ll see how it goes.”

Demian was shot in early December while getting pizza. The bullet seriously damaged his intestine. Dr. Andrew Young, a trauma surgeon at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, operated on Demian the night of the shooting.

"There was a period where we weren't sure if his heart was going to stop or not, it was very nerve-racking for everyone, but he pulled through obviously, and he did really well," Young said.

The following months involved more doctors and medical teams. In total, Demian had four surgeries, with the most recent taking place in April.

“He was very aware of what's going on, but at the same time, is looking to the future and has that plan in place and that's the biggest thing," Young said. "I think that's really what ultimately saved his life. It's the stuff that we do, but it's also how the patients respond to what we do and having that hope and that plan in place, so they know, 'Hey, this is where I want to be.'"

From recovery to unexpected setbacks to regaining strength and weight, Demian's hard work did not stop. The week of Aug. 3 was his first back practicing on the field with his team.

“I just never thought that wasn't going to happen, so I wasn't like, sure, it's a great milestone to hit and it's great to think about, like, what you kind of came through, but there’s still so much more I want to do," Demian said.

He said a mentality switch helped him get to where he is now. While Demian had no control over what happened to him that December night, he emphasized he was in control of his recovery and what happens next.

“The shooters took so much from me, that moment took so much from me, why would I let it take more," he said. “I want to be the best, I want to have a great future, I want to have a great family, I want to have a great life, and this thing happened to me, yeah, but am I going to let something that happened to me when I was 22-years-old change the next 50 years of my life. Sure, it affects me, and that's the reality of it, it's really hard and it sucks, but I have 50 more years on this earth, hopefully more.”

Ohio State's men's soccer team has an exhibition game on Saturday, Aug. 9, at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium at 8 p.m. The plan is for Demian to play.