By Zach Baker
Tiffin Advertisier-Tribune

Calvert wrestler Daniel Kwiat is home from Mercy St. Vincent Medical Center in Toledo, three days after suffering what his mother Karen referred to as "basically, a broken neck."

Kwiat had surgery Sunday morning, a 2 1/2-hour procedure in which doctors fused two of his vertebrae together and inserted a metal plate.

"He's up and walking," said Keven Rinaman, Kwiat's coach at Calvert. "The physical therapist had him up and walking Sunday."

"He's doing pretty good," Karen said. "He lost a lot of strength in his arm. He has a tickling prickling sensation. ... Basically it was a broken neck. It was an emergency surgery he had to have.

"The thing that was shocking," she said, "is nobody told me (he had a broken neck) Saturday night. That was the first thing out of the neurologist's mouth."

Karen said Daniel wasn't allowed to move at all Saturday night, and was in "intolerable" pain. But he was doing well after the surgery, where he was joined in his room by about 20 people - including siblings Dillon and Kyle Kwiat, who like their brother were state-placing wrestlers for Calvert.

Rinaman said despite how bad the injury was, there is a recognition that things could have been worse.

"The word everyone has been using on Facebook is 'blessed' that he came through (the injury), and I'd probably have to agree with that," Rinaman said.

Daniel, who also was an all-state football player, has been told his wrestling career is over.

"Wrestling's out," Karen said. "As far as anything else, the doctor won't discuss it until the end of March."

Kwiat suffered the injury Saturday at the Midland Athletic League Meet in North Baltimore, in the 195-pound final match with NB's Dalton Ishmael.

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Thank you Zach for allowing us to use part of your fine article!