Chris Norton
Chris Norton is a former American Football defensive back who played Division III Football for the Luther College Norse. His career ended in 2010 when he became paralyzed while making a tackle during a kickoff in a game against Central College. He was given a 3% chance of ever regaining movement below the neck but has continued to recover sensation and mobility throughout his body—including his hands, legs, feet, and torso.[1] Today he lives in Florida with his fiancée, where he manages his nonprofit foundation and works full-time as a motivational speaker.
Injury
On October 16, 2010, Norton fractured his C3 and C4 vertebrae in the 3rd quarter of play during a football game against Central College in Decorah, Iowa. The fracture occurred on impact as his head collided with the ball carrier's knee during a kickoff return. As the pile cleared, Norton lay face down, motionless, on the ground. He was transported off the field via ambulance and taken for emergency care to Winnishiek Medical Center, where doctors stabilized him for an immediate airlift to neighboring Mayo Clinic.[2]
Later that night at Rochester's Mayo Clinic, Norton underwent intensive surgery in which doctors used a piece of his hip bone to fuse together his C3, C4, and C5 vertebrae. Prior to the surgery, doctors gave him a 3 percent chance of regaining any movement below his neck; while he was undergoing the procedure, the medical staff delivered the prognosis to his family in the adjacent room. The surgery ended after three hours without any serious complications.[3]
Recovery
The morning of October 17, 2010, Norton awoke with his neck immobilized and a tube placed in his throat to supplement oxygen flow. Although he couldn't initially speak, he was able to shrug his left shoulder ever so slightly—defying the doctor's prognosis. He spent the next five days in the ICU before being transferred to the hospital's rehab wing, where he received near-daily occupational and physical therapy sessions for the next four months.
Two weeks after the injury, he regained enough movement in his hands to operate a power steering configuration for an electric wheelchair. Five weeks into his rehab, he regained some movement and feeling throughout his upper body but was still unable to move anything below his waist. On Thanksgiving Day 2010, surrounded by his therapist and his two sisters, Norton was able to wiggle his left big toe. In March 2011, he moved into the Ronald McDonald House of Rochester, which allowed him to continue rehabbing in Mayo Clinic's outpatient program for the next three months.[4]
On May 20, 2011, Norton moved back home to Bondurant, Iowa, where he continued his rehabilitation throughout the summer. During that time, he regained enough strength throughout his torso and arms to operate a power-assisted wheelchair under his own control. In the fall of 2017, he returned to his studies at Luther College, where he was able to live in campus housing with a group of former teammates. His sister, Alex, a registered nurse, moved close by to help facilitate the transition.[5]
In 2014, Norton vowed to walk across the stage at his graduation ceremony. He graduated from Luther a semester early and moved to Detroit, Michigan, to rehab full-time at the Barwis Methods training facility in anticipation of the upcoming ceremony.[6]
Graduation Walk
In the spring of 2014, he vowed to walk across the stage for the graduation ceremony the following year. On May 24, 2015, he returned to Luther College to accept his diploma in Business Management. In front of a packed gymnasium, he walked across the stage with assistance from his fiancée, Emily, whom he had proposed to the previous day. The video of his walk soon went viral, having reached over 300 million views as of January 2017.[7]
Foundation
In 2012, Norton and his family founded the SCI CAN Foundation, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization aimed at raising money for individuals with spinal cord injuries in Iowa and throughout the Midwest. SCI CAN hosts annual fundraising dinners and various functions throughout the year that ultimately pay for grant opportunities used by surrounding rehab facilities, hospitals, and individuals. As of 2017, the SCI CAN Foundation had raised over $600,000.
SCI CAN mission statement:
"Our mission is to promote the long-term health, wellness, recovery, and quality of life for individuals with spinal cord injuries and other neurological disorders by providing additional funds to facilitate opportunities that would not otherwise exist."[8]
Speaking career
Norton began sharing his story while still in college, traveling around northern Iowa to speak with church groups, college clubs, and local sports teams. His gigs quickly grew to include corporations and conferences across the country. Along with his dad, Terry, he published a father-son memoir, "The Power of Faith When Tragedy Strikes," in 2015. The book alternates between his and his father's accounts of the injury and his path to recovery. After college, Norton started his own speaking company, "Norton Motivation," and currently runs the operation out of Port St. Lucie, Florida. He continues to travel the country and share his life story.[9]
Family
His family remains a constant theme throughout his memoir and in his speeches; he often attributes his recovery success to their support. His parents, Deb and Terry, live in Chris's hometown of Altoona, Iowa, where they help operate the SCI CAN Foundation. He has an older sister, Alex, a teacher of nursing at Mercy College, who has often acted as a primary caregiver during his recovery, and a younger sister, Katie, who attends the University of Northern Iowa. His fiancée Emily is a native of Muscatine, Iowa.[10]
References
- ↑ Kindelan, Katie. "How a Wheelchair-bound Football Player was able to Walk at his College Graduation". www.yahoo.com/news. Good Morning America. Archived from the original on 21 April 2017. Retrieved 21 March 2017.
- ↑ "Paralyzed Luther College Player Norton Inspiring with Recovery". www.SI.com. Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 21 March 2017.
- ↑ Dyer, Kristian. "On One Play, a Life is Forever Changed". www.nytimes.com. The New York Times. Retrieved 21 March 2017.
- ↑ Hendrickson, Brian. "Luther's Chris Norton Turns Personal Setback into Community Gain". www.NCAA.org. NCAA. Retrieved 21 March 2017.
- ↑ Hendrickson, Brian. "Luther's Chris Norton Turns Personal Setback into Community Gain". www.NCAA.org. NCAA. Retrieved 21 March 2017.
- ↑ Hayes, Christy (2015). The Power of Faith When Tragedy Strikes. Christopher A. Norton. ISBN 9781625720122. Search this book on
- ↑ Fieldstadt, Elisha. "This Paralyzed College Student Walked Across Stage at His Graduation". www.time.com. Time. Retrieved 16 March 2017.
- ↑ "About Us". www.scicanfoundation.com. SCI CAN. Retrieved 16 March 2017.
- ↑ Serico, Chris. "A Huge Support': Paralyzed Graduate Walks for Diploma with new Fiancee's Help". www.today.com. Today. Retrieved 21 March 2017.
- ↑ "Paralyzed Luther College Player Norton Inspiring with Recovery". www.SI.com. Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 21 March 2017.
This article "Chris Norton" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.
|
This page exists already on Wikipedia. |
