MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — Jack Jablonski, who was paralyzed playing hockey for Benilde-St. Margaret’s, has been honored with the Courage In Sports award.

On Sunday afternoon, tens of thousands of people voted for him on the CBS special. He’s now 2012 America’s Choice Honoree.

It’s been an improbable journey for Jablonski since Dec. 30, 2011 and he’s made significant progress ever since. Back in September, Jablonski was able to stand for 22 minutes with some help from Courage Center staff.

His mother, Leslie, also reported on CaringBridge that Jack has been playing beach volleyball with his trainers using his arms to hit the ball.