Chris Norton walks again four years after a tragic football accident

CHRIS Norton was just 18 when he broke his neck playing football and was told he’d probably never walk again. But on the weekend he did exactly that, with the help of his beautiful new fiancee.

CHRIS Norton was just 18 years old when he broke his neck playing college football in October 2010. Doctors told the Iowa teen he had a three per cent chance of ever regaining movement below his neck.

Last weekend, his life changed again. But this time it was for the better.

Chris, now 23, proposed to his girlfriend Emily Summers (she said yes).

And at his college graduation, he rose from his wheelchair and took steps in front of a cheering crowd to accept his diploma in business management.

News.com.au spoke to Chris about what he describes as “the best weekend of my life” and the preceding four years that got him there.

“The accident was four years ago. I was a freshman playing college football in Iowa. I remember the day so clearly. It was the third quarter and as the ball kicked off I made a tackle that felt like any other tackle. I remember being face down on the ground and hearing a guy call out to me. I was super confused because I tried to get up and I couldn’t.

I tried to feel my legs and arms and nothing was moving. The trainers come to check up on me and they asked if I could feel anything. They were squeezing my hands and feet. I couldn’t feel anything this entire time. After a couple of minutes they called a helicopter to fly me out. That’s when I knew it was serious. It was so surreal.

It’s something you read about but you never think it could happen to you. I was only 18 at the time. I thought I was invincible and that nothing serious would ever happen to me.

I was told I had a 3 per cent chance that I would ever regain feeling below my beck. It was scary but I don’t know, something came over me. I don’t know why but I just knew I had a purpose.

It never felt like a life sentence. I just couldn’t believe it. They could have said I had a 1 per cent or even 0 per cent chance of moving again and I would not have believed them. I have an optimistic personality and I knew I could definitely beat this.

Chris during his recovery.

Day one after surgery I could only move my head slightly and I could shrug my left shoulder. I just worked as hard as I could every day to get a bit more movement and feeling.

I went to therapy for 3-4 hours five times a week and then I would do extra exercises at home with Emily. So over five hours a day. In my first session it was so difficult to even tolerate sitting up in a chair and now I’m standing and walking.

The doctors were blown away with how fast I’ve recovered. They are even more optimistic and hopeful now for other patients and for their profession after seeing what can be done. With determination and hope you can succeed and get better.

I’ll never forget what happened about five weeks after the accident. I had some feeling in my legs but I had no movement. I really wanted to move one of my legs. My left big toe had some sensation and I thought I could move it.

I really believed I could but the doctor refused to look at it. He knew it wasn’t moving. I wanted to move it so badly that I’d tricked myself into thinking I could do it. It was crushing and devastating. A week later it was Thanksgiving morning and I was finally able to move that toe. That same doctor came in and saw it and was so proud of me.

Chris met Emily at college after his accident.

I think it’s human to have moments of weakness and be scared. During the day I was surrounded by my family and friends and doctors helping me work towards my goal so I was never down or frustrated then. But at night time when things got quiet and I was by myself, that’s when things got hard. I felt like I was strapped to the bed because I couldn’t move. It was just awful. I just hated being in bed, it felt so restricting.

If I was fully able bodied I wouldn’t play football again. I would never discourage anyone else from playing it — I love football and I know they’re trying to make the game safer. But I learnt so many important life lessons from playing football; how to be a good teammate, to work hard and push through difficult times. I really helped me in my recovery. Freak accidents happen all the time. They shouldn’t stop us from doing things we love.

I’ve been able to stand out of my chair for a couple of years. But I get a lot of help. The first time I stood up I needed three people to help me and leg braces. Over time I needed less and less help and I’m working on standing up on my own. And now I’m starting to be able to balance on my own. It just keeps getting better and better.

The moment Chris proposed to Emily.

I always get asked if I met Emily before or after the accident. I met her afterwards, almost three years into my injury. We met at university, we just hit it off right away and we’ve been inseparable ever since. She’s a really special girl. She saw me for who I am. After being in a wheelchair for so long some people think of you as ‘Chris in the wheelchair’ and she just saw me as Chris.

I set the goal to walk across the stage around a year ago. When I finally did it I was anxious and nervous and excited. I wanted to show everyone how hard I’ve worked and I just really want to concentrate on my steps. I wanted to make a point that you should dream big and have big goals. But I was comfortable having Emily there and I was in the zone to do what I needed to do. It was my game day.

It’s been wonderful, the best weekend of my life. I’ve accomplished a goal I’ve been working towards for so long.

Everyone’s just ecstatic for us. There are so many great things going on in the world right now and I just want to put a smile on people’s faces. I hope people find inspiration from what’s happened to me and we can all be more grateful for the lives that we have.”

Chris established the SCI CAN Foundation in 2012 to help raise funds for patients with neuromuscular and spinal cord problems. To donate, visit scicanfoundation.com.au.