COLUMBUS, Ohio — Eight months after being shot in the abdomen during a drive-by incident, Ohio State soccer player Nathan Demian is back on the field — stronger, grateful and more determined than ever.

Demian was caught in the crossfire last year when police said two vehicles were chasing each other when one driver fired at the other, but instead struck Demian in the abdomen, according to the Columbus Division of Police.

“It was the hardest eight months of my life,” Demian said. “After my final surgery I contracted a stomach bug in the hospital called C. diff, which we didn't realize I had for a month and a half. It kind of destroyed all the progress we made.”

Now, as the whistle blows on Saturday to kick off his final season, Demian said he’s not taking a single moment for granted.

“I

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