Breaking Barriers with Chris Norton
I watched a video titled Groom Paralyzed Playing Football Walks Down The Aisle: Inside Chris Norton's Story. This video brought me along a man’s journey with a spinal cord injury (SCI) and how he overcame many barriers. Chris Norton had a lot of unknowns in his life after his SCI because his life plan was just completely disrupted. Chis fractured his vertebrae C3 and C4 which is extremely serious. His injury affected his lower limbs and functioning in his hands.
While I watched this, I noticed how many occupations of his were affected and what was important to him. The occupation he desired most after his injury was to be able to walk again. He had so many questions of what his outlook would look like, but he had a positive outlook. There were many things he was told he would never be able to do but that just made him want to do it even more. He set goal after goal and kept pushing forward after each success and failure. I chose to watch this video for my assignment because it explains a realistic rehab journey and life after a SCI, and I wanted to know what that looked like. I also choose this because it seemed very positive and happy, I know a SCI can be extremely devastating, so I wanted to explore something that brought light to this situation. From Chris’s story I learned that through dedication, support, and motivation, rehab can be an empowering experience.
To further my knowledge on this topic, I researched his foundation called The Chris Norton Foundation. I found that through his foundation, there are so many resources and opportunities for people with spinal cord injuries and neuromuscular disabilities such as a wheelchair camp and links to Chris’s public speaking videos. His foundation is all about making sure anyone affected by a SCI or neuromuscular challenges can live their lives to the fullest and it provides a platform for advocacy. This story taught me a lot about working with what you have and not to dwell on what you don’t because that will make you miserable. I highly recommend this video for a heartwarming, encouraging story full of hope and perseverance. Check out the links below!
Reference:
Groom Paralyzed Playing Football Walks Down The Aisle: Inside Chris Norton’s Story (FULL) | PeopleTV. (2018, April 26). YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNhLZedi3-I
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