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Everett's recovery nothing short of miracle
Contributed by: Jesse Schaffer on 9/18/2007

It happened in the blink of an eye. Buffalo tight end Kevin Everett beats a block and races down the field with his sights set on Denver return man Domenik Hixon. As Everett closed in on Hixon, he lowered his head and positioned his body for the big hit...

Sadly, the only person who took a big hit was Everett.

The moment his head rammed into Hixon, Everett immediately fell to the ground and laid there motionless, as if he was tranquilized by the hit.

Everyone in the stadium at the September 9 Denver at Buffalo game waited impatiently for Everett to show a sign of consciousness, to sit up, to bend a knee, anything.

But the fallen warrior did not move again, and when he was finally taken off the field in an ambulance, he took everyone's heart with him.

Everett's injury is at this point being labeled an incomplete spinal cord injury, and there is no doubt that everyone close to him is gravely concerned.

"I think it's probably the hardest thing I'll ever have to go through as an individual just watching him go through something like that," said an emotional Brian Moorman, a teammate of Everett's, in a statement on the Buffalo Bills official website. "I hope it's the last time I ever have to choke back tears on the middle of the playing field."

However, relief was to come. After a successful surgery on his spine Everett has slowly been regaining mobility of his body and it is likely that he will be able to walk again.

The prognosis of Dr. Kevin Gibbons, the supervisor of neurosurgery at Buffalo's Millard Fillmore Gates Hospital where Everett is currently resting, is optimistic yet cautious.

"The patient's made significant improvement. But no one should think the functions in his legs is close to normal. Not even close. ... If you ask me, 'Would he walk again?' I would tell you that I wouldn't bet against it. But he has a long way to go." Gibbons said in a statement on the Buffalo Bills official website.

This sudden change of events has everyone hoping for the best. One minute this young man was doomed to be paralyzed, but now thanks to his extraordinary will, determination and care he has received, Kevin Everett may very well walk out of the hospital that he was lifelessly carried into.

I hope to God that Everett will improve and bounce back from this injury. I hope to God that he will be able to resume his life and enjoy it as he deserves.

But most of all, I hope to God that everyone reading will take heed when playing a contact sport, because as we have already seen, even the toughest of men can be broken.


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CONTRIBUTOR INFORMATION

Jesse Schaffer

Littleton , CO

Jesse Schaffer has posted 4 stories and 2 comments since joining on 10/10/2006. Jesse Schaffer 's average story rating is 4.8.
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