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[gentle music playing]
4
00:01:40,000 --> 00:01:42,875
[group talking indistinctly]
5
00:01:44,583 --> 00:01:46,666
[man] Dear Lord, the battles
we go through in life.
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00:01:46,750 --> 00:01:48,041
[group repeats]
7
00:01:48,166 --> 00:01:50,625
-[man] We ask for a chance to despair.
-[group repeats]
8
00:01:50,708 --> 00:01:53,166
-[man] A chance to earn our stripes.
-[group repeats]
9
00:01:53,250 --> 00:01:55,041
-A chance to do it or dare.
-[group repeats]
10
00:01:55,125 --> 00:01:56,500
-If we should win.
-[group repeats]
11
00:01:56,583 --> 00:01:58,166
-Let it be by the code.
-[group repeats]
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00:01:58,250 --> 00:02:00,500
-[man] Our faith and honor held high.
-[group repeats]
13
00:02:00,583 --> 00:02:02,000
-If we should lose.
-[group repeats]
14
00:02:02,083 --> 00:02:03,708
-We stand by the row.
-[group repeats]
15
00:02:03,791 --> 00:02:05,875
-Cheers as the victors go by.
-[group repeats]
16
00:02:05,958 --> 00:02:07,458
-Day by day!
-[group repeats]
17
00:02:07,541 --> 00:02:09,416
-We get better and better!
-[group repeats]
18
00:02:09,500 --> 00:02:10,625
-Beat again!
-[group repeats]
19
00:02:10,708 --> 00:02:12,041
-Can't be beat.
-[group repeats]
20
00:02:12,125 --> 00:02:13,791
-Won't be beat.
-[group repeating]
21
00:02:13,875 --> 00:02:15,041
[all chanting]
22
00:02:16,000 --> 00:02:18,000
[cheering]
23
00:02:21,416 --> 00:02:27,583
That whole sense of
excitement and desire to,
24
00:02:27,666 --> 00:02:32,708
to be your best, is permeating
throughout that room.
25
00:02:32,791 --> 00:02:34,750
We're playing a really tough opponent.
26
00:02:36,083 --> 00:02:37,666
One of the longstanding,
27
00:02:37,791 --> 00:02:40,958
traditionally very good
teams in our league.
28
00:02:41,333 --> 00:02:43,583
And yet there's a sense of confidence.
29
00:02:49,333 --> 00:02:51,666
[cheering]
30
00:02:53,583 --> 00:02:55,500
And we just storm out on the field.
31
00:02:56,958 --> 00:02:59,750
There's energy from the
stadiums and cheerleaders.
32
00:03:01,333 --> 00:03:06,333
It's just like something that
you can't get anywhere else,
33
00:03:06,416 --> 00:03:08,000
other than playing football.
34
00:03:08,125 --> 00:03:11,375
[crowd chanting]
35
00:03:14,958 --> 00:03:17,500
We just had…
It was just a fun, fun day.
36
00:03:17,583 --> 00:03:20,791
We got there early,
we watched them warm up,
37
00:03:20,875 --> 00:03:22,625
we tailgated with their friends
38
00:03:23,125 --> 00:03:25,375
and we're just all having a great time,
39
00:03:25,458 --> 00:03:26,666
just the three of us.
40
00:03:26,750 --> 00:03:29,875
[Terry] Going into the fifth game,
he had beat out players on the team
41
00:03:29,958 --> 00:03:31,583
that were first team all staters
42
00:03:31,666 --> 00:03:34,291
and was playing more than
any other freshman on the team,
43
00:03:34,416 --> 00:03:36,166
'cause he was on all the special teams,
44
00:03:36,250 --> 00:03:38,083
so we were really excited for him.
45
00:03:38,250 --> 00:03:41,166
It was also a big game because
they were playing Central
46
00:03:41,250 --> 00:03:45,875
and Central has long time
been a conference champion
47
00:03:45,958 --> 00:03:47,958
and always done
really well nationally, too.
48
00:03:48,041 --> 00:03:49,625
They always go to the playoffs
49
00:03:49,708 --> 00:03:52,333
and their head football coach,
Jeff McMartin,
50
00:03:52,416 --> 00:03:54,125
had really recruited Chris hard.
51
00:03:54,291 --> 00:03:56,750
[Chris] We started off the game,
really slow.
52
00:03:58,875 --> 00:04:01,125
Central scored on us right away.
53
00:04:02,250 --> 00:04:03,625
They had all the momentum.
54
00:04:05,125 --> 00:04:08,125
[group chattering]
55
00:04:08,208 --> 00:04:10,583
Let's go, let's go,
Yeah, it's a big deal, let's go.
56
00:04:10,666 --> 00:04:12,916
[shouting]
57
00:04:13,750 --> 00:04:15,416
[Chris] We go into halftime
58
00:04:15,916 --> 00:04:18,458
and we're pretty down on ourselves.
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00:04:18,541 --> 00:04:21,791
And coach just rips into us
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00:04:21,875 --> 00:04:23,916
and lights a fire underneath us,
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00:04:24,000 --> 00:04:25,708
where we come out
in the third quarter.
62
00:04:28,541 --> 00:04:31,083
[whistle blowing]
63
00:04:31,333 --> 00:04:35,416
All of a sudden our offense
puts together a great run.
64
00:04:35,541 --> 00:04:40,208
[dramatic rock music playing]
65
00:04:40,583 --> 00:04:41,666
And we score.
66
00:04:41,791 --> 00:04:43,750
And I remember everybody's excited.
67
00:04:44,083 --> 00:04:48,000
We're within striking distance,
so to speak, at that point.
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00:04:51,125 --> 00:04:54,458
Momentum started turning,
the crowd's into it,
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00:04:54,541 --> 00:04:56,416
the sideline's all fired up.
70
00:04:56,666 --> 00:05:00,750
And this time
it was my turn to make the play.
71
00:05:07,083 --> 00:05:10,583
And we were all really excited
and maybe a little bit jealous
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00:05:10,666 --> 00:05:13,041
that Chris was out there,
'cause he was just a freshman
73
00:05:13,125 --> 00:05:16,375
and a lot of us didn't get to play
on special teams, even then.
74
00:05:16,458 --> 00:05:18,916
I remember being
super excited for Chris
75
00:05:19,000 --> 00:05:21,000
because he was playing
as a true freshman,
76
00:05:21,125 --> 00:05:23,166
and he was one of two or three kids.
77
00:05:23,250 --> 00:05:24,791
I mean, that was a pretty big deal.
78
00:05:24,875 --> 00:05:26,375
We had 120 kids on the roster,
79
00:05:26,458 --> 00:05:28,958
so you had to be pretty
dang good to break that.
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00:05:29,041 --> 00:05:31,958
[Chris] So I came in
with just extra motivations,
81
00:05:32,083 --> 00:05:34,666
extra adrenaline
that I need to make a play.
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00:05:34,833 --> 00:05:38,375
So play with simple mortar kick right,
83
00:05:38,541 --> 00:05:42,250
which got me more excited because
I'm on the right side of the field,
84
00:05:42,375 --> 00:05:44,500
even more of a chance
for me to make a play
85
00:05:44,583 --> 00:05:46,500
and I knew I was going to.
86
00:05:47,833 --> 00:05:51,500
This was going to be
my opportunity to really shine
87
00:05:51,583 --> 00:05:53,458
and change the game for us.
88
00:05:58,250 --> 00:06:01,250
[dramatic music playing]
89
00:06:13,375 --> 00:06:15,625
I sprint down the field
as hard as I can go
90
00:06:15,708 --> 00:06:17,416
and I see the opening
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00:06:17,500 --> 00:06:20,833
of where I know the ball
carrier is gonna run through.
92
00:06:20,916 --> 00:06:22,833
I ended up returning it
93
00:06:22,916 --> 00:06:25,125
and at that time I tried to cut right.
94
00:06:25,208 --> 00:06:31,250
And my instincts tell me to dive.
However, I mistimed my jump,
95
00:06:31,708 --> 00:06:33,208
just by a split second.
96
00:06:33,958 --> 00:06:36,875
A routine football play
that we've done a million times
97
00:06:36,958 --> 00:06:39,416
changed Chris's world forever.
98
00:06:39,500 --> 00:06:43,375
[audience cheering]
99
00:06:46,333 --> 00:06:48,916
[dramatic thud]
100
00:06:53,666 --> 00:06:56,666
[announcer] Chris Norton
is down as of right now.
101
00:06:57,583 --> 00:07:00,250
You just hope and pray
that he's doing okay.
102
00:07:02,541 --> 00:07:07,666
It felt as if someone just turned
the power off to my body.
103
00:07:09,208 --> 00:07:10,416
I couldn't feel a thing.
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00:07:13,500 --> 00:07:17,625
I'm a little further distance away
from him at the time,
105
00:07:17,708 --> 00:07:21,333
but even at the distance that I was at,
you could tell he's not moving.
106
00:07:21,416 --> 00:07:23,625
Even athletes in pain, move.
107
00:07:25,250 --> 00:07:28,041
You can only imagine what's going through
his head at the moment,
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00:07:28,125 --> 00:07:30,583
when your face is down towards grass,
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00:07:30,666 --> 00:07:32,208
facing kind of one direction
110
00:07:32,291 --> 00:07:34,833
and that's all you can see
and you can't change it.
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00:07:35,208 --> 00:07:37,208
[Chris] The trainers asked me
questions like,
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00:07:37,333 --> 00:07:39,750
"Chris, can you make
a fist with your hand?"
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00:07:42,750 --> 00:07:45,125
I tried making a fist,
nothing happens.
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I'm just thinking, "No, I'll be fine,
115
00:07:47,958 --> 00:07:50,958
don't worry about me,
this is embarrassing."
116
00:07:52,208 --> 00:07:56,708
The game is stopped for me,
I hate that kind of attention.
117
00:07:56,958 --> 00:08:01,833
[Deb] And I remember just watching,
not being able to quite process
118
00:08:01,916 --> 00:08:03,750
that he wasn't getting up,
119
00:08:03,833 --> 00:08:07,375
because he took some tough
tackles in high school,
120
00:08:07,458 --> 00:08:09,000
he always gets up.
121
00:08:09,583 --> 00:08:14,333
[Del] It got really quiet, the field
and the whole stadium kind of,
122
00:08:14,416 --> 00:08:18,375
you can feel the air
suck out of everybody.
123
00:08:18,458 --> 00:08:22,416
And a typical football play,
when somebody gets hurt,
124
00:08:22,500 --> 00:08:24,541
you take a knee and I remember
being on a knee for,
125
00:08:24,625 --> 00:08:27,833
for an extended amount of time
and being, like, at a certain point,
126
00:08:27,916 --> 00:08:31,000
okay, this is different.
This is serious.
127
00:08:31,083 --> 00:08:34,500
It was just such an eerie feeling
in that stadium.
128
00:08:34,833 --> 00:08:40,250
It's on such a beautiful day
for this kind of horrifying scene
129
00:08:40,333 --> 00:08:44,125
and you can just tell
by the looks on their faces,
130
00:08:44,208 --> 00:08:47,583
that this is bad.
131
00:08:48,500 --> 00:08:50,958
Just as long as I live,
I'll just remember that image
132
00:08:51,041 --> 00:08:54,125
of just seeing a stadium
with 5,000 people,
133
00:08:54,208 --> 00:08:55,458
where you can hear a pin drop,
134
00:08:55,541 --> 00:08:57,708
and then all these players
down on one knee.
135
00:08:58,833 --> 00:09:00,750
One thing that's
special about football is,
136
00:09:00,833 --> 00:09:03,041
no matter who you are,
it's always a brotherhood
137
00:09:03,125 --> 00:09:06,041
and it was hard to see
someone laying there
138
00:09:06,125 --> 00:09:09,666
and couldn't move.
139
00:09:10,625 --> 00:09:13,666
[Chris] I remember just having
my eyes just completely shut
140
00:09:13,750 --> 00:09:17,125
and closed, trying to block out
what was happening around me,
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00:09:17,250 --> 00:09:18,875
I just didn't want to accept it.
142
00:09:19,250 --> 00:09:20,708
I knew it was real,
143
00:09:21,500 --> 00:09:24,250
but it was just so hard
for me to swallow that.
144
00:09:24,333 --> 00:09:26,333
I mean, they were
doing everything right,
145
00:09:26,416 --> 00:09:30,666
working on him, and we still give thanks
to this day for that training staff,
146
00:09:30,750 --> 00:09:33,416
because us not knowing at the time
147
00:09:33,500 --> 00:09:37,416
that it was a spinal cord injury.
Just the slightest movement
148
00:09:38,791 --> 00:09:42,166
is the difference between
never having a chance
149
00:09:42,250 --> 00:09:43,375
to regain anything.
150
00:09:44,666 --> 00:09:47,916
So we get down to the field
and we come in close
151
00:09:48,000 --> 00:09:49,458
and I remember leaning over
152
00:09:49,541 --> 00:09:51,416
and saying something like,
"Okay, we're here"
153
00:09:51,500 --> 00:09:53,375
just to let Chris know
that we were down there,
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00:09:53,458 --> 00:09:54,666
that we were with him.
155
00:09:55,583 --> 00:09:58,208
The beauty of everything
that had been going on that day
156
00:09:58,291 --> 00:10:01,708
is non-existent,
all you're doing is focusing
157
00:10:01,791 --> 00:10:03,458
on the face of a young man,
158
00:10:03,833 --> 00:10:10,125
that is one of your players
that has sacrificed time
159
00:10:10,458 --> 00:10:12,625
and given every effort he can
160
00:10:12,708 --> 00:10:15,541
to be the best player he can be,
lying there helpless.
161
00:10:15,625 --> 00:10:22,250
[Chris] The EMTs come out eventually.
I'm still thinking, I'll be okay.
162
00:10:22,458 --> 00:10:25,333
I'm 18 years old from small town Iowa,
163
00:10:25,791 --> 00:10:27,666
bad things happen to other people.
164
00:10:27,750 --> 00:10:31,041
It happens to people
you read about in the newspaper,
165
00:10:31,125 --> 00:10:32,625
or you watch on television.
166
00:10:33,083 --> 00:10:35,416
There's no way this
could happen to me.
167
00:10:35,500 --> 00:10:37,583
I've been to a lot of sporting events
168
00:10:38,458 --> 00:10:40,375
and the injured athlete's
always been able
169
00:10:40,458 --> 00:10:41,666
to acknowledge the crowd,
170
00:10:41,750 --> 00:10:46,083
you give them a thumbs up,
a wave, and I couldn't.
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00:10:47,291 --> 00:10:50,375
That took my fear to another level.
172
00:10:51,375 --> 00:10:53,958
[Richie] I still didn't
think it was serious,
173
00:10:54,041 --> 00:10:57,833
even when Chris was being
wheeled off in the ambulance.
174
00:10:57,916 --> 00:10:59,708
I thought we were
still going to go over
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00:10:59,791 --> 00:11:01,000
to my house that night.
176
00:11:01,083 --> 00:11:04,083
To me, it was just,
he might've gotten a concussion
177
00:11:04,166 --> 00:11:07,541
or, might've messed up
a shoulder or something.
178
00:11:07,625 --> 00:11:09,500
But when you're 18 years old,
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00:11:09,583 --> 00:11:12,416
the gravity of the situation
never really sets in.
180
00:11:13,750 --> 00:11:16,208
[Chris] Eventually they get me
into the ambulance
181
00:11:16,291 --> 00:11:18,541
and drive me to the hospital.
182
00:11:19,333 --> 00:11:21,916
They had cut his uniform off him.
183
00:11:22,250 --> 00:11:26,458
In fact, I ran across
that bag with his…
184
00:11:27,541 --> 00:11:28,541
[sniffles]
185
00:11:28,625 --> 00:11:32,666
…his uniform in it and that was tough.
186
00:11:32,750 --> 00:11:35,833
But when they called in
for the helicopter,
187
00:11:37,166 --> 00:11:42,208
that's when my fear
really erupted inside me.
188
00:11:42,833 --> 00:11:44,166
And I knew it was serious.
189
00:11:44,250 --> 00:11:46,541
My breathing starting to go down,
190
00:11:46,625 --> 00:11:49,833
I'm just like gasping for air,
191
00:11:49,916 --> 00:11:53,291
felt like as if I was
breathing through a straw
192
00:11:53,375 --> 00:11:55,291
that you would drink with coffee.
193
00:11:56,416 --> 00:12:01,208
I remember just thinking I may die,
194
00:12:01,291 --> 00:12:05,916
if I don't take control of my feelings,
my emotions,
195
00:12:06,000 --> 00:12:08,875
my heart was just racing out of control.
196
00:12:10,541 --> 00:12:14,041
We finished the game
and as we'd always done,
197
00:12:14,125 --> 00:12:16,541
we gathered one end of the field
198
00:12:17,416 --> 00:12:18,833
and we talked about it.
199
00:12:19,208 --> 00:12:25,166
We said, "Hey, we know that something
has happened with Chris,
200
00:12:25,250 --> 00:12:27,208
but we're going to
need to try to fight on,
201
00:12:27,291 --> 00:12:29,041
we're gonna try to move forward,
202
00:12:29,166 --> 00:12:32,625
we're gonna try to be the best
we can be in this situation."
203
00:12:33,416 --> 00:12:36,500
And what was really difficult
as I was talking to them,
204
00:12:36,875 --> 00:12:38,250
I could hear a helicopter.
205
00:12:39,458 --> 00:12:41,166
Now, in the city of Decorah,
206
00:12:41,250 --> 00:12:43,208
that's not an everyday occurrence.
207
00:12:43,291 --> 00:12:46,166
So I knew they were transporting.
208
00:12:47,125 --> 00:12:49,500
I look up and I tell my family,
tell my friends too,
209
00:12:49,583 --> 00:12:50,916
I said, "That's not good."
210
00:12:51,000 --> 00:12:52,375
"That's not good."
211
00:12:53,375 --> 00:12:54,750
And I just remember glancing over
212
00:12:54,833 --> 00:12:56,625
and seeing that helicopter.
213
00:13:01,958 --> 00:13:03,791
[gently sobbing]
214
00:13:03,875 --> 00:13:07,291
And he was going to be
by himself in that helicopter
215
00:13:07,375 --> 00:13:11,333
and we were going to have to drive
all the way to Rochester,
216
00:13:11,916 --> 00:13:15,416
not knowing what was gonna happen.
217
00:13:17,750 --> 00:13:21,166
[gentle dramatic music]
218
00:13:43,500 --> 00:13:46,375
Instantly, they have me
rushing through the halls.
219
00:13:46,458 --> 00:13:49,750
I get to a room, just this bright,
220
00:13:49,833 --> 00:13:52,875
sterile room with all these
different medical personnel,
221
00:13:52,958 --> 00:13:55,375
all gathered around, just waiting for me.
222
00:13:56,083 --> 00:13:58,916
-[nurse] We're good?
-And back, one, two, three.
223
00:14:00,166 --> 00:14:02,750
They were testing
sensation and movements
224
00:14:02,833 --> 00:14:05,666
and it was just a chaotic scene,
225
00:14:06,083 --> 00:14:08,375
of all these people working on me.
226
00:14:08,458 --> 00:14:12,833
It just was this gradual increase in fear
227
00:14:12,916 --> 00:14:14,625
that just kept gripping me.
228
00:14:15,666 --> 00:14:16,916
In this time I'm just,
229
00:14:17,000 --> 00:14:19,958
I'm still closing my eyes like,
this can't be happening.
230
00:14:20,041 --> 00:14:22,708
This is just all part of a bad dream.
231
00:14:23,333 --> 00:14:26,666
The tackle resulted
in some bending forward
232
00:14:26,750 --> 00:14:30,416
of his neck and of excessive force
233
00:14:30,500 --> 00:14:33,833
or flection of the neck
caused a fracture dislocation
234
00:14:33,916 --> 00:14:39,000
between the C3 and the C4,
cervical vertebrae,
235
00:14:39,083 --> 00:14:42,625
then pinched or compressed
the spinal cord,
236
00:14:42,708 --> 00:14:48,000
resulting in the paralysis that
he experienced immediately on the field.
237
00:14:48,083 --> 00:14:51,208
By virtue of placing him in traction
238
00:14:51,291 --> 00:14:54,416
and putting some force
on his head and neck,
239
00:14:54,500 --> 00:14:58,500
his surgical team was able to realign
240
00:14:58,583 --> 00:15:01,625
or partially realign
his fractured dislocation.
241
00:15:02,291 --> 00:15:06,166
And I could just feel
the blood trickled down my hair
242
00:15:06,250 --> 00:15:09,833
and my head and just, it was
the worst pain I've ever felt.
243
00:15:10,916 --> 00:15:12,958
And then they started adding weight.
244
00:15:13,875 --> 00:15:17,625
The sound was awful,
245
00:15:17,708 --> 00:15:20,750
it sounded like
a celery stick breaking.
246
00:15:21,708 --> 00:15:24,666
I wouldn't wish that
upon my worst enemy,
247
00:15:24,750 --> 00:15:27,000
to have to go through
something like that.
248
00:15:29,750 --> 00:15:34,166
After the traction,
I get into this MRI room
249
00:15:34,250 --> 00:15:37,333
and they put me on the board
250
00:15:37,416 --> 00:15:41,583
and it slowly brings me into the machine,
251
00:15:41,666 --> 00:15:45,375
which the machine is so tight
and claustrophobic.
252
00:15:45,750 --> 00:15:47,416
And once the machine starts,
253
00:15:47,500 --> 00:15:50,333
it makes this, like,
kind of a rattling sound
254
00:15:50,416 --> 00:15:54,000
that's really obnoxious.
255
00:15:54,083 --> 00:15:57,333
I was in such an uncomfortable position
256
00:15:57,458 --> 00:15:59,916
with the neck brace, the sounds,
257
00:16:00,541 --> 00:16:03,416
just feeling overwhelmed about
what just happened to me.
258
00:16:03,500 --> 00:16:06,541
What's my life gonna
look like going forward?
259
00:16:06,625 --> 00:16:08,333
Can this possibly be real?
260
00:16:08,791 --> 00:16:10,375
Is this really my life?
261
00:16:10,708 --> 00:16:12,208
I've been praying this entire time.
262
00:16:12,291 --> 00:16:14,791
Just praying to God, give me
the strength to get through this,
263
00:16:14,875 --> 00:16:17,333
give me the strength back
that I need to just walk
264
00:16:17,416 --> 00:16:19,041
and put this all behind me.
265
00:16:19,125 --> 00:16:20,708
I don't ever need to play sports again,
266
00:16:20,791 --> 00:16:22,833
just give me the ability to walk.
267
00:16:22,916 --> 00:16:24,958
And it turned to, "God,
268
00:16:25,041 --> 00:16:29,666
can you just let me sleep
for the next hour
269
00:16:29,750 --> 00:16:31,583
that I'll be in this MRI machine?"
270
00:16:31,666 --> 00:16:34,208
I thought that would be
impossible to sleep
271
00:16:34,625 --> 00:16:36,458
in that kind of situation.
272
00:16:36,541 --> 00:16:38,500
But the next thing I remember
273
00:16:38,750 --> 00:16:42,125
is being lowered out
of the MRI machine.
274
00:16:42,500 --> 00:16:48,375
I had fallen asleep. In that moment,
I knew I wasn't alone.
275
00:16:49,958 --> 00:16:54,750
That was the sign
that I needed to experience,
276
00:16:55,125 --> 00:16:56,500
to know that God's with me.
277
00:16:57,041 --> 00:16:59,750
That was a miracle to me.
278
00:17:00,708 --> 00:17:04,041
The surgeon finally comes,
and this is before surgery,
279
00:17:04,125 --> 00:17:05,916
and pulls us into a room
280
00:17:06,000 --> 00:17:08,541
and then he's only got a 3% chance
281
00:17:08,625 --> 00:17:11,458
of ever regaining
any movement below his neck.
282
00:17:12,250 --> 00:17:18,750
And I can't even describe
how horrible that moment was.
283
00:17:18,833 --> 00:17:21,416
Just felt like my heart was crushed
284
00:17:21,500 --> 00:17:23,250
and my life was just torn out of me,
285
00:17:23,541 --> 00:17:26,416
that my son, that I had coached,
286
00:17:28,000 --> 00:17:30,416
have had such a great relationship with,
287
00:17:30,500 --> 00:17:33,166
I mean we've just always
been really, really close
288
00:17:33,250 --> 00:17:37,666
and, um, it was just devastating.
289
00:17:37,750 --> 00:17:41,833
You know, I remember
sitting there in the hallway,
290
00:17:43,000 --> 00:17:47,750
thinking, "Our life
just completely changed."
291
00:17:48,666 --> 00:17:50,916
And I just got so restless, like,
292
00:17:51,000 --> 00:17:53,000
I'm just like,
"I have to get out of here,"
293
00:17:53,291 --> 00:17:57,458
and I just took off walking
and I ended up at the chapel.
294
00:17:57,750 --> 00:18:00,125
I just needed to be there and pray.
295
00:18:00,708 --> 00:18:03,583
I sat down at a pew and I looked up
296
00:18:03,666 --> 00:18:06,916
and on the ceiling above me was a mural
297
00:18:07,000 --> 00:18:09,166
of Jesus holding this injured man.
298
00:18:09,541 --> 00:18:13,500
And I thought, "You know what?
I was meant to sit here.
299
00:18:15,208 --> 00:18:17,791
God has us, He's gonna take care of him.
300
00:18:17,875 --> 00:18:19,708
He's gonna get through the surgery
301
00:18:19,791 --> 00:18:21,875
and I don't know what
the outcome's gonna be,
302
00:18:21,958 --> 00:18:23,416
but whatever it is,
303
00:18:24,375 --> 00:18:26,625
me and my family
are gonna get through this."
304
00:18:26,708 --> 00:18:27,916
[nurse] Bed's locked.
305
00:18:31,000 --> 00:18:32,166
One, two, three.
306
00:18:32,375 --> 00:18:33,958
[Chris] You can just see in their eyes,
307
00:18:34,041 --> 00:18:37,875
that they were emotional
and scared for me
308
00:18:38,625 --> 00:18:42,750
and then I asked the surgeon a question,
309
00:18:42,833 --> 00:18:46,041
that I've been really wanting
to ask the entire time,
310
00:18:46,125 --> 00:18:49,708
but I knew I couldn't
ask it until this moment,
311
00:18:51,125 --> 00:18:52,708
which was, "Will I walk again?"
312
00:18:54,333 --> 00:18:57,875
I don't care about sports at this point,
I don't care about running,
313
00:18:57,958 --> 00:19:00,291
I just… Give me the ability to walk
314
00:19:00,375 --> 00:19:02,250
and I'll put that all behind me,
315
00:19:02,333 --> 00:19:05,000
I'll be okay with just being able to walk.
316
00:19:05,083 --> 00:19:09,416
And I was hoping
for a very straight, honest answer.
317
00:19:10,250 --> 00:19:13,041
I figured they'd have
all the answers and they don't.
318
00:19:13,375 --> 00:19:15,666
And he just said,
"Chris, I don't know."
319
00:19:16,666 --> 00:19:19,625
And he just looked
at the ground in defeat.
320
00:19:20,541 --> 00:19:22,750
You know, something
I've always done my whole life
321
00:19:22,833 --> 00:19:24,583
is to stay positive, stay calm
322
00:19:24,958 --> 00:19:27,875
and this was a time
where I just let it all out.
323
00:19:29,000 --> 00:19:34,708
I just started to cry and that's
when they put me to sleep.
324
00:19:38,416 --> 00:19:41,583
[gentle dramatic music playing]
325
00:19:57,458 --> 00:19:59,458
[Chris] My dad is my hero.
326
00:19:59,541 --> 00:20:01,500
He's always been there for me
327
00:20:01,583 --> 00:20:03,708
and the thing about him
that I really appreciate,
328
00:20:03,791 --> 00:20:07,708
is that he's always seen more
in myself than I could see
329
00:20:07,791 --> 00:20:10,250
and he would always try
to pull that out of me.
330
00:20:10,333 --> 00:20:12,250
And I had high
expectations for myself,
331
00:20:12,333 --> 00:20:14,541
but he'd always raise the bar.
332
00:20:14,625 --> 00:20:15,875
Chris was this,
333
00:20:17,416 --> 00:20:18,541
he… I always say this,
334
00:20:18,625 --> 00:20:22,041
he was special because
he wasn't necessarily special.
335
00:20:22,541 --> 00:20:24,500
And what I mean by that is,
336
00:20:24,583 --> 00:20:26,791
Chris was never faster
than everyone else,
337
00:20:26,875 --> 00:20:28,708
he was never bigger than everyone else,
338
00:20:28,791 --> 00:20:29,916
he was never stronger,
339
00:20:30,000 --> 00:20:31,916
but he just had no quit in him.
340
00:20:32,000 --> 00:20:34,750
And I remember
when he kind of was in that
341
00:20:34,833 --> 00:20:36,958
middle school range,
he wore glasses
342
00:20:37,041 --> 00:20:40,250
and we signed him up to
play tackle football for the first time
343
00:20:40,333 --> 00:20:44,208
and took him down to this small town,
about 30 minutes south of where we live.
344
00:20:44,625 --> 00:20:46,500
And so here's this little guy with glasses
345
00:20:46,583 --> 00:20:48,875
and they said, "Well,
what position do you wanna play?"
346
00:20:48,958 --> 00:20:50,500
And he said, "Middle linebacker."
347
00:20:50,583 --> 00:20:52,958
And they were looking
at this little guy going, "Um…"
348
00:20:53,041 --> 00:20:55,166
[coach] All right, Norton,
let's see what you've got.
349
00:20:55,250 --> 00:20:57,083
All right, everybody,
huddle up, here we go.
350
00:20:57,166 --> 00:20:59,208
[cheering]
351
00:20:59,291 --> 00:21:01,750
[Terry] And then they saw
how he could put a hit,
352
00:21:01,833 --> 00:21:04,916
I mean, even at a young age,
he could put a hit on people.
353
00:21:05,791 --> 00:21:08,000
[cheering]
354
00:21:16,666 --> 00:21:18,500
[cheering indistinctly]
355
00:21:19,666 --> 00:21:20,583
[player] And hut!
356
00:21:20,958 --> 00:21:23,500
[Terry] He ended up scoring
all these touchdowns for 'em
357
00:21:23,583 --> 00:21:25,208
and they won the championship
358
00:21:25,291 --> 00:21:28,750
and he led the team in tackles
and he was just this little guy,
359
00:21:28,833 --> 00:21:32,000
with that football helmet on,
and these glasses looking through it,
360
00:21:32,083 --> 00:21:33,583
but that was just him.
361
00:21:33,666 --> 00:21:36,625
He was just very humble,
very unassuming,
362
00:21:36,708 --> 00:21:40,541
but he just never quit and worked harder
than everyone else.
363
00:21:40,625 --> 00:21:43,333
[announcer] Norton with blockers
out in front of him,
364
00:21:43,416 --> 00:21:46,125
he could go all the way!
How about this?
365
00:21:46,208 --> 00:21:49,333
A 94-yard touchdown return.
366
00:21:49,416 --> 00:21:51,083
[Chris] I loved high school football,
367
00:21:51,166 --> 00:21:53,833
it was so fun playing,
Friday night lights,
368
00:21:53,916 --> 00:21:56,625
strap on the pads and helmets
with your friends
369
00:21:56,708 --> 00:21:59,125
that you grew up with,
like, your entire life
370
00:21:59,250 --> 00:22:01,208
and just playing
from the community
371
00:22:01,291 --> 00:22:03,708
that you've been a part of for so long.
372
00:22:03,791 --> 00:22:06,208
It was just, like,
such an honor to be out there.
373
00:22:06,291 --> 00:22:10,958
I was very average at a lot of things,
374
00:22:11,500 --> 00:22:14,375
but I always tried to be better
375
00:22:14,458 --> 00:22:17,250
than what came naturally to me.
376
00:22:19,416 --> 00:22:21,750
[announcer] And it's
the hard-hitting Chris Norton.
377
00:22:21,833 --> 00:22:24,125
[Chris] I could tackle,
that was the one thing
378
00:22:24,208 --> 00:22:26,916
I was really good at,
was just tackling people.
379
00:22:27,000 --> 00:22:29,250
And so that's where I really,
380
00:22:29,333 --> 00:22:31,541
people kind of started
to recognize me
381
00:22:31,625 --> 00:22:32,958
for being a hard hitter.
382
00:22:34,166 --> 00:22:35,791
[announcer]
And what a hit out of bounds.
383
00:22:35,875 --> 00:22:37,916
He got cracked down by Chris Norton.
384
00:22:38,000 --> 00:22:40,833
Because he was very
aggressive in football,
385
00:22:40,916 --> 00:22:43,166
that he felt that football
would be something
386
00:22:43,250 --> 00:22:44,833
that would just be more enjoyable,
387
00:22:44,916 --> 00:22:47,833
that he could go right
into as a freshman,
388
00:22:47,916 --> 00:22:50,041
work his way onto some special teams
389
00:22:50,125 --> 00:22:52,250
and have the opportunity to start playing.
390
00:22:52,333 --> 00:22:57,416
And last minute, I did an overnight visit
with Luther College,
391
00:22:57,750 --> 00:23:00,583
I just felt like
this is the right place for me.
392
00:23:00,666 --> 00:23:05,750
I remember just trying to prove myself
393
00:23:05,833 --> 00:23:09,291
at each game, each day,
and I wanted to be a starter.
394
00:23:14,291 --> 00:23:15,958
[loud thud]
395
00:23:16,166 --> 00:23:18,875
[dramatic music]
396
00:23:19,750 --> 00:23:23,250
One of the best football players to pass
through Bondurant-Farrar High School
397
00:23:23,333 --> 00:23:26,208
is struggling to feel
his limbs this afternoon.
398
00:23:26,291 --> 00:23:27,958
News channel 8's
Eric Hanson found out
399
00:23:28,041 --> 00:23:30,375
both his hometown
and his new college community
400
00:23:30,458 --> 00:23:31,875
are rallying around the teenager,
401
00:23:31,958 --> 00:23:34,416
who wasn't given much hope
of moving again.
402
00:23:34,583 --> 00:23:36,833
[Hanson] Last fall when Bondurant-Farrar
403
00:23:36,916 --> 00:23:38,958
needed a big tackle
or wanted to go deep,
404
00:23:39,041 --> 00:23:41,291
they called on number five, Chris Norton.
405
00:23:41,375 --> 00:23:43,083
[crowd cheering]
406
00:23:43,166 --> 00:23:46,875
He's just one of those guys that you knew,
if there was a collision someplace,
407
00:23:46,958 --> 00:23:49,291
there's contact, Chris Norton
would be involved with it.
408
00:23:49,375 --> 00:23:52,125
[Hanson] Norton had so many highlights,
high school Friday nights
409
00:23:52,208 --> 00:23:54,791
turned into Saturday afternoons
at Luther College.
410
00:23:54,875 --> 00:23:56,708
The kid who wore number five
in high school
411
00:23:56,791 --> 00:23:59,333
and 16 in college
was flown to the Mayo Clinic,
412
00:23:59,416 --> 00:24:03,041
where he was given a 3% chance
of ever moving again.
413
00:24:06,666 --> 00:24:09,083
[Chris] I thought,
hopefully I would just wake up
414
00:24:09,166 --> 00:24:12,208
from the nightmare
and it just kept getting worse.
415
00:24:14,416 --> 00:24:17,375
I remember waking up in such a fog.
416
00:24:17,875 --> 00:24:21,208
It was blurry and it was just hard
417
00:24:21,291 --> 00:24:24,583
to really make sense
of what was around me.
418
00:24:24,666 --> 00:24:26,958
Eventually the surgeon comes in
419
00:24:27,500 --> 00:24:32,500
and gives the news
of what they saw, what happened.
420
00:24:32,791 --> 00:24:39,166
Chris's surgery involved,
um, placing rods and screws
421
00:24:39,250 --> 00:24:42,791
in the cervical vertebra
422
00:24:42,916 --> 00:24:46,375
to help maintain them in alignment,
423
00:24:46,458 --> 00:24:50,333
while the bone grafting material healed.
424
00:24:50,416 --> 00:24:52,458
And so what we know is
when someone can't feel
425
00:24:52,541 --> 00:24:55,000
anything at all in their body,
426
00:24:55,083 --> 00:24:58,541
especially around the buttocks area,
427
00:24:58,625 --> 00:25:02,375
their chances of significant recovery
is quite low.
428
00:25:02,458 --> 00:25:06,208
They gave me a 3% chance
to ever regain
429
00:25:06,291 --> 00:25:09,625
any feeling or movement back
below the neck.
430
00:25:09,708 --> 00:25:12,333
He was my big brother,
someone I always looked up to
431
00:25:12,416 --> 00:25:14,666
and he seemed invincible to me.
432
00:25:14,750 --> 00:25:18,791
So to see him in a hospital bed,
I just, I couldn't believe it.
433
00:25:18,916 --> 00:25:22,375
[Chris] My parents' faces
of just concern and worry,
434
00:25:22,458 --> 00:25:24,875
but trying to stay strong for me.
435
00:25:25,333 --> 00:25:27,666
He was moving his arm
or doing something
436
00:25:27,750 --> 00:25:28,958
and I remember thinking,
437
00:25:29,041 --> 00:25:32,250
"Oh, my gosh,
he's got some movement."
438
00:25:32,333 --> 00:25:34,041
[Terry] Chris could move his left arm
439
00:25:34,125 --> 00:25:36,000
and he just kept moving it
over and over again
440
00:25:36,083 --> 00:25:39,000
and he didn't think I was noticing,
so he's winking at me,
441
00:25:39,083 --> 00:25:41,791
but he wanted to show me,
"Hey, I just beat the 3%."
442
00:25:41,875 --> 00:25:44,666
That little movement just gave me
443
00:25:44,750 --> 00:25:48,458
that huge boost of hope
that I'm gonna beat this,
444
00:25:48,541 --> 00:25:53,750
this is not--
I'm not gonna be part of the 97%
445
00:25:53,833 --> 00:25:56,083
that doesn't recover from this.
446
00:25:56,166 --> 00:26:00,000
We were not going
to let this change who we were,
447
00:26:00,083 --> 00:26:02,250
what we did, what we found joy in,
448
00:26:02,333 --> 00:26:03,666
we weren't going to do it,
449
00:26:03,750 --> 00:26:08,208
so we kind of
put our battle armor on that day
450
00:26:08,291 --> 00:26:12,333
and we suited up and we decided,
"You know what?"
451
00:26:13,458 --> 00:26:14,875
"There's no challenge too big
452
00:26:14,958 --> 00:26:17,875
that we can't conquer as a family."
453
00:26:19,583 --> 00:26:22,375
[EKG beeping]
454
00:26:22,708 --> 00:26:25,458
[Chris] That first night, you know,
I was shaken up,
455
00:26:25,541 --> 00:26:26,833
I couldn't sleep.
456
00:26:28,125 --> 00:26:31,125
Remember just crying in frustration.
457
00:26:33,166 --> 00:26:37,041
"This shouldn't be happening to me.
I should be back… in college."
458
00:26:37,125 --> 00:26:40,041
"I should be with my friends.
I should be with my teammates."
459
00:26:40,333 --> 00:26:41,333
"I shouldn't be here."
460
00:26:43,791 --> 00:26:45,041
"Why am I here?"
461
00:26:45,125 --> 00:26:46,250
"Why is this happening?"
462
00:26:47,041 --> 00:26:50,916
And not knowing those answers
was so frustrating.
463
00:26:51,916 --> 00:26:57,208
I remember my dad reading
Bible verses to me to try to,
464
00:26:57,291 --> 00:27:00,583
like, calm me down
and to put me at ease,
465
00:27:00,666 --> 00:27:02,583
you know,
"God has a bigger calling for you."
466
00:27:02,666 --> 00:27:04,208
Like, we'll get through this,
467
00:27:04,291 --> 00:27:06,250
but you just don't know that,
468
00:27:06,333 --> 00:27:08,250
you don't know if you're
gonna get through it.
469
00:27:08,333 --> 00:27:10,875
Is this gonna be my life forever?
470
00:27:11,000 --> 00:27:12,375
Will I always be immobile?
471
00:27:13,291 --> 00:27:16,583
Could I ever have anything
that I once lived before?
472
00:27:18,666 --> 00:27:24,166
And the next day,
it was probably my lowest moment,
473
00:27:24,875 --> 00:27:28,250
was when my nursing staff
came in to bathe me.
474
00:27:30,500 --> 00:27:33,708
[nurse] All right, Chris, we're gonna
move down to your legs now.
475
00:27:37,166 --> 00:27:39,458
[Chris] And them
just pulling back the covers
476
00:27:40,375 --> 00:27:45,375
and seeing my legs there,
motionless and so far away.
477
00:27:46,708 --> 00:27:48,416
Them moving my legs,
478
00:27:48,500 --> 00:27:50,541
like they're moving somebody else's legs,
479
00:27:51,208 --> 00:27:56,333
bathing myself with washcloths
and not feeling it.
480
00:27:57,958 --> 00:28:00,333
And just feeling
so hopeless and vulnerable
481
00:28:01,333 --> 00:28:05,958
and being so exposed
to people you don't even know,
482
00:28:06,041 --> 00:28:07,458
how can this be my life?
483
00:28:14,458 --> 00:28:17,458
[Terry] His two sisters
just really rose to the occasion.
484
00:28:17,541 --> 00:28:21,166
Katie and Alex basically
cleared out his room at home
485
00:28:21,250 --> 00:28:24,583
and reduplicated
his room at the hospital.
486
00:28:25,000 --> 00:28:28,791
Then there was just this
outpouring from everywhere.
487
00:28:28,875 --> 00:28:31,125
That was great to see
how many people really cared
488
00:28:31,208 --> 00:28:32,916
and see what they could do to help
489
00:28:33,000 --> 00:28:35,250
and just wanted to know what was going on.
490
00:28:35,333 --> 00:28:38,125
Something that really
began to really help me is
491
00:28:38,208 --> 00:28:41,083
my family started a Caring Bridge page.
492
00:28:41,166 --> 00:28:44,125
[Alex] It reached hundreds,
if not thousands of people,
493
00:28:44,208 --> 00:28:46,375
we had no idea how it did,
494
00:28:46,458 --> 00:28:48,041
but they were touched by his story
495
00:28:48,125 --> 00:28:50,541
and just wanted to give
words of encouragement.
496
00:28:50,625 --> 00:28:52,708
So it was really, it was awesome.
497
00:28:52,791 --> 00:28:56,958
My dad, he would read
the posts from other people
498
00:28:57,041 --> 00:28:58,625
on that Caring Bridge page.
499
00:28:58,708 --> 00:29:00,333
Well, at night,
when he's lying in bed,
500
00:29:00,416 --> 00:29:05,750
that's when all those fears
and all that stuff started creeping in
501
00:29:05,833 --> 00:29:08,250
and I always wanted to end the evening
502
00:29:08,333 --> 00:29:12,333
on a positive note
with some uplifting things.
503
00:29:12,416 --> 00:29:14,333
All these people are posting these things,
504
00:29:14,416 --> 00:29:16,958
listen to this one here
that just came in.
505
00:29:17,041 --> 00:29:19,000
"Chris, there's no doubt in my mind
506
00:29:19,083 --> 00:29:20,791
that you will walk again."
507
00:29:20,875 --> 00:29:24,333
"Keep your eye on the prize,
take it one day at a time."
508
00:29:24,416 --> 00:29:27,500
"You are such an inspiration
and hopefully you will write
509
00:29:27,583 --> 00:29:30,000
a book, as your life would touch so many."
510
00:29:30,083 --> 00:29:33,291
"With my thoughts
and continued prayers, Sharon."
511
00:29:33,958 --> 00:29:38,458
And that just gave me so much courage
512
00:29:38,541 --> 00:29:40,666
that I can't let these people down.
513
00:29:40,750 --> 00:29:43,583
They're all cheering for me,
they're all rooting for me to keep going,
514
00:29:43,666 --> 00:29:45,958
like, "Chris, you can do this,
keep the faith,
515
00:29:46,166 --> 00:29:49,625
never give up."
And it just poured into me
516
00:29:49,708 --> 00:29:51,250
knowing that I can't give up.
517
00:29:54,750 --> 00:29:58,541
The moment that was
so impactful to me
518
00:29:59,250 --> 00:30:02,375
came on the fourth night
of my hospital stay.
519
00:30:02,458 --> 00:30:04,916
It's 4:00 in the morning, I can't sleep.
520
00:30:05,000 --> 00:30:07,125
I'm so restless, frustrated.
521
00:30:07,208 --> 00:30:09,666
I'm just trying to move my body
522
00:30:09,750 --> 00:30:12,416
and just can't wait
till the sun comes up.
523
00:30:12,916 --> 00:30:16,458
And a physician comes in
to check my vitals,
524
00:30:16,541 --> 00:30:19,791
which someone comes in
and checks my vitals every two hours.
525
00:30:20,416 --> 00:30:24,416
But she did much more
than just check my vitals,
526
00:30:24,500 --> 00:30:28,875
she came to my bedside,
she got down on one knee.
527
00:30:29,791 --> 00:30:32,750
Chris, look me in the eyes.
528
00:30:32,833 --> 00:30:34,750
[Chris] She was kind of mean about it.
529
00:30:34,833 --> 00:30:36,750
I lock eyes with her.
530
00:30:36,833 --> 00:30:39,500
And she said, "My name is Georgia."
531
00:30:39,583 --> 00:30:43,458
"I'm from Wyoming, do you know
anyone from Wyoming?"
532
00:30:43,583 --> 00:30:45,000
I said, "No."
533
00:30:45,083 --> 00:30:47,875
I'm thinking,
where is this conversation going?
534
00:30:47,958 --> 00:30:51,833
Just leave me alone,
just let me be in my moment.
535
00:30:52,791 --> 00:30:56,875
And she said, "Well, people from Wyoming
don't tell lies."
536
00:30:57,750 --> 00:31:02,958
"And I'm going to tell you this, Chris,
you will beat this.
537
00:31:04,333 --> 00:31:06,708
You will beat this."
538
00:31:08,666 --> 00:31:10,916
And it was like,
she was talking to my soul.
539
00:31:11,000 --> 00:31:13,375
Like, she just broke right through me.
540
00:31:14,416 --> 00:31:17,541
I've had hundreds,
if not thousands of people tell me,
541
00:31:17,666 --> 00:31:19,791
"Chris, you can do this,
you can beat this."
542
00:31:19,875 --> 00:31:23,708
But it was that moment
where I really needed it.
543
00:31:24,500 --> 00:31:29,666
And she was this angel
that came when I needed it the most,
544
00:31:30,041 --> 00:31:35,083
to give me the strength
even more so to keep going.
545
00:31:36,166 --> 00:31:39,791
It might've been over so quickly,
but it was so powerful.
546
00:31:39,875 --> 00:31:42,208
Everybody else checked the vitals
and left,
547
00:31:43,125 --> 00:31:45,041
where she did just a little bit extra,
548
00:31:45,125 --> 00:31:47,375
a little bit more
and you can do a little bit more,
549
00:31:47,458 --> 00:31:49,125
a little extra on everything that you do,
550
00:31:49,208 --> 00:31:50,583
what you're supposed to do,
551
00:31:50,708 --> 00:31:53,125
that's when you can make
the most significant impact
552
00:31:53,208 --> 00:31:54,875
and the biggest difference.
553
00:31:57,916 --> 00:32:00,333
[Deb] He'd been in the hospital
a couple of weeks
554
00:32:00,416 --> 00:32:04,583
and this is one thing
I really struggled with.
555
00:32:04,666 --> 00:32:06,458
It's like, I want him to date,
556
00:32:06,541 --> 00:32:08,916
I want him to be
married someday.
557
00:32:09,000 --> 00:32:10,083
Is that gonna happen?
558
00:32:10,166 --> 00:32:13,750
Like, that was my…
I had a real fear about that.
559
00:32:13,833 --> 00:32:17,000
One of the occupational therapists,
560
00:32:17,833 --> 00:32:19,791
I shared that fear with her
561
00:32:19,875 --> 00:32:22,208
and she just looked at me and she goes,
562
00:32:22,291 --> 00:32:24,250
"Deb, he's gonna be fine.
563
00:32:24,333 --> 00:32:25,708
The right person will come along
564
00:32:25,791 --> 00:32:27,916
and they aren't gonna care about that."
565
00:32:28,000 --> 00:32:29,000
As a physical therapist,
566
00:32:29,083 --> 00:32:31,291
it's my job to work
towards that common goal
567
00:32:31,375 --> 00:32:33,500
of improvements in function
568
00:32:33,625 --> 00:32:35,583
and improvements in independence
569
00:32:35,666 --> 00:32:37,166
and improvements in recovery.
570
00:32:37,833 --> 00:32:40,000
When Chris came to the rehab unit, um,
571
00:32:40,083 --> 00:32:41,916
he hadn't even been out of bed yet.
572
00:32:42,000 --> 00:32:44,208
The primary goal,
for the first three days,
573
00:32:44,291 --> 00:32:47,208
was getting him out of bed, into a chair,
574
00:32:47,291 --> 00:32:49,333
a power wheelchair
that he could sit up in
575
00:32:49,416 --> 00:32:50,875
for a couple hours at a time.
576
00:32:50,958 --> 00:32:53,166
[Chris] And so the first day
I got in that wheelchair,
577
00:32:53,250 --> 00:32:54,833
I was in it for 30 minutes
578
00:32:54,916 --> 00:32:57,166
and I had to get out
before I got sick.
579
00:32:57,833 --> 00:32:59,833
And then the next day I went 45 minutes
580
00:32:59,916 --> 00:33:04,875
and each day I continually, gradually
improved my ability to just sit in it,
581
00:33:04,958 --> 00:33:07,125
not do anything and I couldn't drive it,
582
00:33:07,208 --> 00:33:11,041
but just to be able to be upright,
that was my therapy.
583
00:33:11,916 --> 00:33:13,291
It was difficult.
584
00:33:13,375 --> 00:33:16,833
And at that point,
about a month after his accident,
585
00:33:16,916 --> 00:33:19,916
um, he had feeling at around
the top of his shoulders
586
00:33:20,000 --> 00:33:21,750
and a little bit going down his arms
587
00:33:21,833 --> 00:33:24,833
and a small amount
of strength in his arms.
588
00:33:24,916 --> 00:33:28,833
And fortunately over the ensuing
several weeks,
589
00:33:28,916 --> 00:33:31,541
that progressed as we wanted to see
590
00:33:31,625 --> 00:33:32,958
and hoped for it to see.
591
00:33:33,041 --> 00:33:34,416
Because he was an athlete,
592
00:33:34,500 --> 00:33:38,041
because he was in such good shape
and condition before his injury,
593
00:33:38,125 --> 00:33:40,333
he could tolerate more intensity.
594
00:33:40,416 --> 00:33:42,500
So we started doing
one hour of physical therapy
595
00:33:42,583 --> 00:33:44,500
in the morning
and one hour in the afternoon,
596
00:33:44,583 --> 00:33:48,083
which gave us the opportunity
to do a lot of different things
597
00:33:48,166 --> 00:33:50,625
and to really combine the compensation
598
00:33:50,708 --> 00:33:54,000
versus the recovery approach
at the same time.
599
00:33:54,083 --> 00:33:56,750
I'll never forget this,
it was the middle of the night,
600
00:33:56,833 --> 00:33:58,958
we're both, I thought, asleep,
601
00:33:59,041 --> 00:34:01,166
and I hear this "Dad, Dad."
602
00:34:01,958 --> 00:34:04,916
He said,
"The little things that I do extra
603
00:34:05,000 --> 00:34:09,000
is gonna make the difference
between what I can and can't do."
604
00:34:09,083 --> 00:34:12,125
And I said, "Well, Chris,
that's actually true for all of us."
605
00:34:12,208 --> 00:34:14,333
I said, "Doing those extra things
606
00:34:14,416 --> 00:34:17,250
is what makes us
successful or not successful."
607
00:34:17,333 --> 00:34:20,166
And he said, "Well, I want you
to put a list up on the wall
608
00:34:20,250 --> 00:34:24,541
and make sure I do those things
every single day."
609
00:34:24,958 --> 00:34:27,000
And I said, "Well, Chris, it's 3:00 a.m.
610
00:34:27,083 --> 00:34:30,166
Can we wait till 7:00 to do that?"
[laughing]
611
00:34:31,166 --> 00:34:32,416
We'll start tomorrow, bud.
612
00:34:34,500 --> 00:34:37,125
Professionally, I might draw
from my personal experiences
613
00:34:37,208 --> 00:34:40,416
and say, "Typically, this is what we see,
or this is what we do,"
614
00:34:40,500 --> 00:34:43,083
and I always saw the look
in Chris's eyes right away
615
00:34:43,166 --> 00:34:45,791
that he wasn't typical
and he wasn't usual.
616
00:34:45,875 --> 00:34:48,750
So I had to refrain from saying
those usual words,
617
00:34:49,000 --> 00:34:53,291
but usually the rehab setting is about
three hours of therapy a day,
618
00:34:53,375 --> 00:34:55,625
between physical therapy
and occupational therapy.
619
00:34:55,708 --> 00:34:58,291
He was definitely
always asking for more
620
00:34:58,375 --> 00:35:01,291
and wanting to do more
and when he did his
621
00:35:01,375 --> 00:35:03,625
four or five hours
of therapy through the day,
622
00:35:03,708 --> 00:35:06,041
he was also doing one
to two hours of therapy at night
623
00:35:06,125 --> 00:35:08,791
with his family,
which was pretty remarkable.
624
00:35:08,875 --> 00:35:13,083
I had to relearn how to move
different parts of my body
625
00:35:13,208 --> 00:35:15,041
with what was connected.
626
00:35:15,125 --> 00:35:18,375
Takes so much tedious work
to get those connections back
627
00:35:18,458 --> 00:35:22,625
and that I would fatigue
with my nerves, not my muscles.
628
00:35:24,083 --> 00:35:28,666
He was always looking
for more to do with therapy.
629
00:35:28,750 --> 00:35:34,458
He was always looking forward
to the next milestone,
630
00:35:34,541 --> 00:35:37,875
the next phase of his recovery
and the next accomplishment.
631
00:35:37,958 --> 00:35:41,125
[woman] Yeah, lifting your…
try to lift your stomach off and hold
632
00:35:41,208 --> 00:35:43,125
and depress it, yes.
633
00:35:43,208 --> 00:35:45,875
[Amy Sikkink] I've never seen
anybody's drive like his, ever,
634
00:35:45,958 --> 00:35:48,916
and we've had plenty of patients where…
635
00:35:49,000 --> 00:35:52,041
He was driven
from the first day, for sure.
636
00:35:52,166 --> 00:35:53,416
I still talk to a lot of people
637
00:35:53,500 --> 00:35:56,458
that are going through
with their child's spinal cord injury.
638
00:35:56,541 --> 00:35:58,250
"When did Chris start moving his legs?"
639
00:35:58,333 --> 00:35:59,875
And that's something a lot of people
640
00:35:59,958 --> 00:36:01,708
with spinal cord injuries
really hang on to.
641
00:36:01,791 --> 00:36:04,666
Well, the number we kept hearing
was five or six weeks.
642
00:36:04,750 --> 00:36:06,958
Well, it was easy
during the first two weeks,
643
00:36:07,041 --> 00:36:10,875
we'd tell Chris, "Hey, it's still early,
your body's recovering from the shock."
644
00:36:10,958 --> 00:36:13,125
You start closing in
on that five or six weeks
645
00:36:13,208 --> 00:36:16,916
and I know Deb and I were feeling
like that collar was starting to tighten.
646
00:36:17,500 --> 00:36:19,708
[Deb] That's incentive, honey, I mean…
647
00:36:19,791 --> 00:36:21,916
[woman] So you might
wanna close your eyes.
648
00:36:22,750 --> 00:36:25,083
Even like a little sensation,
is it tingly?
649
00:36:25,166 --> 00:36:26,916
[Chris] Yeah, it's a tingling sensation.
650
00:36:27,000 --> 00:36:32,000
I woke up with this new
sensation in my left big toe.
651
00:36:32,083 --> 00:36:33,791
Maybe it's like the feeling you get
652
00:36:33,875 --> 00:36:36,583
when you have the covers
over your feet and it slides off
653
00:36:36,666 --> 00:36:40,500
and you can feel your toes exposed
to, like, that brisk air.
654
00:36:40,583 --> 00:36:44,375
Well, my toe was exposed and I'm excited.
655
00:36:44,458 --> 00:36:46,833
This is huge news,
my parents are excited
656
00:36:47,000 --> 00:36:50,666
and we knew we would be
able to talk to the doctor
657
00:36:50,750 --> 00:36:55,541
right after we have the morning meeting,
which they call rounds.
658
00:36:55,625 --> 00:36:57,333
And I tell my doctor, I'm like, "Okay,
659
00:36:57,416 --> 00:36:59,458
there's something
happening in my left big toe,
660
00:36:59,541 --> 00:37:02,458
you've gotta check it out, it's exposed.
661
00:37:02,541 --> 00:37:04,750
I'm going to move it,
there's something going on here."
662
00:37:04,833 --> 00:37:08,916
He begins to go into this spiel
or a lecture
663
00:37:09,000 --> 00:37:12,125
of how I'm experiencing
a phantom feeling
664
00:37:12,208 --> 00:37:15,166
and that these phantom
feelings happen a lot
665
00:37:15,250 --> 00:37:16,791
to people with spinal cord injuries,
666
00:37:16,875 --> 00:37:19,166
where they get these
made up sensations
667
00:37:19,250 --> 00:37:22,166
and feelings in their heads,
because they want it so badly.
668
00:37:22,250 --> 00:37:24,250
Well, can you just take my shoe off?
669
00:37:24,333 --> 00:37:26,666
'Cause I think there
is something happening,
670
00:37:26,750 --> 00:37:28,958
I don't think
it's a phantom feeling.
671
00:37:29,041 --> 00:37:31,000
I'm thinking, "You should
be excited about this,
672
00:37:31,083 --> 00:37:32,833
like, this is huge news, right?"
673
00:37:32,916 --> 00:37:36,375
And he refused to look at my toe.
674
00:37:37,083 --> 00:37:38,958
It's just a trick of your mind.
675
00:37:39,041 --> 00:37:43,041
Um… I know you really want
to feel something badly
676
00:37:43,125 --> 00:37:46,416
and I understand.
You will not be able
677
00:37:46,500 --> 00:37:49,083
to move anything in your legs ever again.
678
00:37:49,666 --> 00:37:50,875
I am sorry.
679
00:37:52,833 --> 00:37:54,541
[Chris] He says it so nonchalantly,
680
00:37:54,625 --> 00:37:58,000
like it's no big deal,
just matter of fact.
681
00:37:59,000 --> 00:38:01,625
But this was like everything to me…
682
00:38:01,708 --> 00:38:05,041
My everyday goal
was to get something in my legs
683
00:38:05,125 --> 00:38:11,041
and to move, and to hear that
from a doctor was just devastating.
684
00:38:11,125 --> 00:38:12,750
It just caught me off guard.
685
00:38:13,541 --> 00:38:16,250
'Cause I could see the look on his face
686
00:38:16,333 --> 00:38:18,958
and I just immediately teared up,
687
00:38:19,041 --> 00:38:20,791
and I turned
and I walked into the bathroom
688
00:38:20,875 --> 00:38:23,958
for just a second and I said,
"God, give me strength."
689
00:38:24,041 --> 00:38:25,708
[water running]
690
00:38:27,875 --> 00:38:28,875
[Terry sighs]
691
00:38:28,958 --> 00:38:31,208
Then I turned around
and walked right back out
692
00:38:31,291 --> 00:38:36,500
and I said, "Chris, no one is gonna ever
determine your outcome but you."
693
00:38:36,583 --> 00:38:38,916
I looked back at him
with tears in my eyes
694
00:38:40,041 --> 00:38:44,750
and I responded to that situation
with more determination than ever before
695
00:38:44,833 --> 00:38:47,708
that I'm gonna prove this doctor wrong.
696
00:38:47,791 --> 00:38:51,125
We did not like
any negative talk around him,
697
00:38:51,208 --> 00:38:53,041
it was only positive talk.
698
00:38:53,125 --> 00:38:55,666
It was only, this is what
we're gonna do to get better.
699
00:38:55,750 --> 00:38:57,833
This is what, this is the plan,
700
00:38:57,916 --> 00:38:59,750
it was nothing negative,
701
00:38:59,833 --> 00:39:01,833
and if you had something
negative to say,
702
00:39:01,916 --> 00:39:03,875
you better say it
in somebody else's room,
703
00:39:03,958 --> 00:39:06,291
'cause it wasn't gonna happen
in Chris's room.
704
00:39:06,375 --> 00:39:10,833
And not even a week later,
on Thanksgiving morning,
705
00:39:10,916 --> 00:39:13,375
I wiggled that exact left big toe
706
00:39:13,458 --> 00:39:15,208
he said I would
never move again.
707
00:39:15,291 --> 00:39:16,833
It was Thanksgiving morning
708
00:39:16,916 --> 00:39:19,333
and we were all excited
to get together.
709
00:39:19,458 --> 00:39:21,833
[Chris] Something that I wanted to do
right away
710
00:39:21,958 --> 00:39:23,875
was to prank him,
I love playing tricks,
711
00:39:23,958 --> 00:39:25,875
and I tell him to come over, I'm like,
712
00:39:25,958 --> 00:39:28,666
"Dad, can you do that pep talk?
713
00:39:28,750 --> 00:39:30,375
Can you yell at my foot again?"
714
00:39:31,083 --> 00:39:34,916
He loves, like, being a goofball
and just yelling at my feet.
715
00:39:35,000 --> 00:39:37,541
He would just grab
my foot and just like,
716
00:39:37,625 --> 00:39:41,166
give it like a pep talk, like,
"Come on, like, wake up,
717
00:39:41,250 --> 00:39:44,375
move, move."
He would just yell at it, right?
718
00:39:44,458 --> 00:39:45,875
-[Terry] Let's move.
-[laughing]
719
00:39:45,958 --> 00:39:47,833
-[Chris] It's not working.
-[Terry] Let's move.
720
00:39:47,916 --> 00:39:50,250
-I need more. I need more out of you.
-Let's move.
721
00:39:50,333 --> 00:39:53,500
[Terry] I'm talking, being silly,
and all of a sudden that left toe wiggled.
722
00:39:53,583 --> 00:39:56,750
And I just about
flew out of my clothes.
723
00:39:56,833 --> 00:39:59,791
I just like jumped back
and I'm like, "Did you do that?"
724
00:39:59,875 --> 00:40:01,750
'Cause I thought maybe it was a spasm.
725
00:40:01,833 --> 00:40:03,208
And he goes, "What?"
726
00:40:03,291 --> 00:40:05,125
And so he goes, "Talk to him again."
727
00:40:05,208 --> 00:40:07,541
So I started talking to him again
and it wiggles again.
728
00:40:07,625 --> 00:40:11,208
Deb just started a combination
of crying and laughing.
729
00:40:11,791 --> 00:40:13,041
Oh, my gosh.
730
00:40:14,541 --> 00:40:17,541
It just… it was such a blessing.
731
00:40:17,625 --> 00:40:20,708
You know, it made our day.
732
00:40:20,791 --> 00:40:23,750
They had it all planned out
how they were gonna break that to us.
733
00:40:23,833 --> 00:40:25,166
We just couldn't believe it,
734
00:40:25,250 --> 00:40:27,583
but that's typical Chris fashion.
735
00:40:27,666 --> 00:40:30,250
And I was pumped, I was fired up.
736
00:40:30,333 --> 00:40:34,583
I was like, kind of like,
game day excited,
737
00:40:34,666 --> 00:40:37,083
where I was telling
my nurses and therapists,
738
00:40:37,166 --> 00:40:39,416
everybody that was there that day,
739
00:40:39,500 --> 00:40:44,500
"You go find that doctor
and tell him phantom this,
740
00:40:44,958 --> 00:40:47,916
as I wiggle my toe in his face."
741
00:40:53,708 --> 00:40:56,916
[Dr. Reeves] He began initially to have
some strength in his abdomen,
742
00:40:57,000 --> 00:40:59,791
his core muscles
that the therapists began to see
743
00:40:59,875 --> 00:41:03,708
in the therapy gym
and a few days to a week after that,
744
00:41:03,875 --> 00:41:06,458
several muscles in his legs
began to recover.
745
00:41:06,541 --> 00:41:09,666
I, as a tech,
am the second set of hands.
746
00:41:10,291 --> 00:41:13,708
So whatever Megan was doing on one side,
747
00:41:13,791 --> 00:41:15,875
I was supposed to reflect that
on the other.
748
00:41:16,583 --> 00:41:20,875
Once Megan felt comfortable,
which was pretty quick,
749
00:41:21,875 --> 00:41:24,500
she's like, "We're gonna stand him."
I'm like, "Okay."
750
00:41:24,583 --> 00:41:29,666
And next thing you know,
we get him up on his feet.
751
00:41:29,750 --> 00:41:32,291
[Chris] I'd have, like, three
therapists gathered around me,
752
00:41:32,375 --> 00:41:34,541
all supporting me,
I had leg braces on,
753
00:41:34,625 --> 00:41:38,500
I had ACE bandage wraps
all the way up my legs.
754
00:41:38,583 --> 00:41:40,750
And all this armor, really,
755
00:41:40,833 --> 00:41:42,958
to just be able to try to stand.
756
00:41:43,041 --> 00:41:45,375
To be upright, to be standing,
757
00:41:45,458 --> 00:41:48,666
it just gave me a sense of freedom.
758
00:41:49,666 --> 00:41:54,625
[gentle uplifting music]
759
00:41:56,833 --> 00:41:58,458
After that six-week mark,
760
00:41:58,583 --> 00:42:01,000
where I was able
to kind of initiate some steps
761
00:42:01,083 --> 00:42:05,666
with spasticity, I would really help
kick my legs up and forward
762
00:42:05,750 --> 00:42:09,875
and I just tried to use that
to try to move my legs a little bit,
763
00:42:09,958 --> 00:42:13,375
but I needed help with
someone moving my legs for me.
764
00:42:17,583 --> 00:42:21,125
Mayo facilities are top-notch,
765
00:42:21,208 --> 00:42:23,708
but more importantly,
the people are top-notch
766
00:42:23,791 --> 00:42:25,958
and that's what was
most important to me,
767
00:42:26,041 --> 00:42:27,875
where I wanted to be there so badly
768
00:42:27,958 --> 00:42:32,333
and I knew they'd give me
the best opportunity to recover.
769
00:42:32,875 --> 00:42:35,583
I don't care
what anybody else has to say,
770
00:42:35,666 --> 00:42:38,291
like, I'm walking out of this hospital.
771
00:42:38,375 --> 00:42:41,000
I just kind of had
that naive belief in myself,
772
00:42:41,083 --> 00:42:43,541
but I don't care,
you kind of need that.
773
00:42:43,625 --> 00:42:47,041
You kind of need that reckless,
abandoned belief in yourself
774
00:42:47,125 --> 00:42:48,666
that you're gonna overcome it.
775
00:42:50,875 --> 00:42:53,333
What was really amazing for me
776
00:42:53,416 --> 00:42:56,625
was that my friends
constantly visited me,
777
00:42:56,708 --> 00:42:59,958
not just friends, but community
members, family friends, family,
778
00:43:00,041 --> 00:43:04,125
you know, so many people just came out
just to be there with me.
779
00:43:04,250 --> 00:43:06,416
And that's just something
I'll never forget.
780
00:43:06,500 --> 00:43:09,583
It's not what they said
or what time they came,
781
00:43:09,666 --> 00:43:11,083
it was just that they were there.
782
00:43:11,166 --> 00:43:12,416
[all greeting Chris]
783
00:43:12,500 --> 00:43:15,916
[Chris] My friends would make
the drive from Luther College,
784
00:43:16,000 --> 00:43:19,625
which is almost an hour
and a half ride each way,
785
00:43:19,708 --> 00:43:21,625
and they'd do it during,
you know, school,
786
00:43:21,750 --> 00:43:23,208
and they'd do it on the weekends.
787
00:43:23,291 --> 00:43:25,833
They just came and visited me
as much as possible
788
00:43:25,916 --> 00:43:27,833
and that just meant the world to me.
789
00:43:27,958 --> 00:43:30,375
The reason we went up to visit him,
a lot of people think
790
00:43:30,458 --> 00:43:31,708
is to make him feel better,
791
00:43:31,791 --> 00:43:33,500
but most of the time it was just because
792
00:43:33,583 --> 00:43:36,375
we wanted to see him and we always
felt better after we talked to him.
793
00:43:36,458 --> 00:43:38,666
[Tanner Douglas] As soon
as we walked in, it was, like,
794
00:43:38,750 --> 00:43:43,416
we were just sitting in the dorms.
There was never an ounce of sadness,
795
00:43:43,500 --> 00:43:45,541
or stress on his face,
796
00:43:45,625 --> 00:43:47,791
he's just happy to be
around all the guys.
797
00:43:47,875 --> 00:43:50,875
See, when you go to a hospital,
you think, you know,
798
00:43:50,958 --> 00:43:54,541
people are sick, you know,
kind of a heavy and somber mood,
799
00:43:54,625 --> 00:43:57,583
but whenever we went,
we tried to make Chris laugh,
800
00:43:57,666 --> 00:43:59,750
and to make him feel
like he's one of the guys.
801
00:43:59,833 --> 00:44:03,541
[Tanner] So we found the ugliest
sweaters we possibly could
802
00:44:03,625 --> 00:44:06,250
and brought them up and forced Chris
803
00:44:06,333 --> 00:44:08,958
into taking an ugly Christmas
sweater picture with us.
804
00:44:09,041 --> 00:44:11,291
-[laughter]
-[man] There you go.
805
00:44:13,583 --> 00:44:17,208
[Richie] We used to Skype him
into our party sometime.
806
00:44:17,333 --> 00:44:20,958
We'd all, like, turn the music down
and have Skype up
807
00:44:21,041 --> 00:44:23,041
and Chris would just
come in from nowhere
808
00:44:23,125 --> 00:44:24,875
and the whole room would go crazy.
809
00:44:24,958 --> 00:44:27,666
He was like a celebrity on campus,
I mean, it was crazy.
810
00:44:27,750 --> 00:44:30,875
Everyone always wanted
to know how Chris was doing.
811
00:44:30,958 --> 00:44:33,083
It was such a cool
community atmosphere.
812
00:44:33,166 --> 00:44:37,208
It's very unique to have
a core set of male friends
813
00:44:37,291 --> 00:44:41,458
who have stepped up
to help Chris not only recover,
814
00:44:41,541 --> 00:44:45,625
but get back to life and then live
as much of a normal life
815
00:44:45,708 --> 00:44:48,708
as he possibly can,
is just unbelievable,
816
00:44:48,791 --> 00:44:51,083
to see the support
that they have given him.
817
00:44:51,166 --> 00:44:53,208
And honestly, I feel it's a very,
818
00:44:53,291 --> 00:44:56,291
very important piece of his recovery.
819
00:45:01,583 --> 00:45:04,333
[Deb] I really felt like he had to go back
820
00:45:04,416 --> 00:45:07,333
to college in the fall,
because if he didn't,
821
00:45:08,708 --> 00:45:10,458
I just felt like
it maybe wouldn't happen,
822
00:45:10,541 --> 00:45:12,166
or something would change.
823
00:45:12,250 --> 00:45:15,333
So I'm just like, "Oh,
you're going back to college."
824
00:45:15,416 --> 00:45:17,625
He said, "I'm gonna come back
and I'm gonna finish
825
00:45:17,708 --> 00:45:19,500
and graduate."
And in our minds we're like,
826
00:45:19,583 --> 00:45:22,250
"Okay, man, you can't
really do anything
827
00:45:22,333 --> 00:45:25,166
for yourself right now
and that seems like a lofty goal."
828
00:45:25,250 --> 00:45:28,875
And never in his mind
or in his words was there any doubt.
829
00:45:28,958 --> 00:45:31,291
And I think that's one of the things
830
00:45:31,375 --> 00:45:35,291
that probably defines Chris
is just his determination.
831
00:45:38,208 --> 00:45:41,833
[Chris] I was very anxious
going back home in a wheelchair.
832
00:45:41,958 --> 00:45:46,041
I remember my first visit vividly,
because I'm going back
833
00:45:46,125 --> 00:45:52,041
to my old life, but a completely
different circumstance.
834
00:45:52,125 --> 00:45:55,458
And how are things
going to be now that
835
00:45:56,291 --> 00:45:59,583
I'm moving about in a wheelchair
versus my own physical ability?
836
00:46:00,583 --> 00:46:03,750
When I came back, it was
actually my birthday weekend
837
00:46:03,833 --> 00:46:06,125
and I was so excited
to have all my friends there
838
00:46:06,208 --> 00:46:09,375
and we were way late
on our reservations.
839
00:46:09,458 --> 00:46:11,708
And we're anxiously
trying to get me transferred
840
00:46:11,791 --> 00:46:14,375
into a vehicle and when
my friend was transferring me
841
00:46:14,458 --> 00:46:19,875
to the front seat,
his butt hit the lock button
842
00:46:19,958 --> 00:46:22,541
and he slams the door shut.
843
00:46:22,625 --> 00:46:24,875
They tried to get back in, they can't.
844
00:46:25,000 --> 00:46:27,416
And I instantly,
I look over to the ignition,
845
00:46:28,125 --> 00:46:31,125
I see the keys dangling there
and I'm just like,
846
00:46:32,250 --> 00:46:35,416
"Oh, my gosh, is this really happening?"
847
00:46:35,916 --> 00:46:39,000
Well, then they're like, "Hey,
just hit the unlock button."
848
00:46:39,833 --> 00:46:41,708
And I went to try to unlock it
849
00:46:41,791 --> 00:46:45,291
and my right arm was so weak
that from the front seat,
850
00:46:45,375 --> 00:46:49,083
I couldn't move my arm
just enough to hit the unlock.
851
00:46:50,541 --> 00:46:54,916
And that moment I just
wanted to break down crying.
852
00:46:55,583 --> 00:47:00,708
Like, I can't even unlock
the door of a vehicle.
853
00:47:00,791 --> 00:47:04,041
Everyone realizes,
"Oh, my God, Chris, it's his birthday
854
00:47:04,125 --> 00:47:07,208
and he's locked in this car
and we have no extra keys."
855
00:47:07,291 --> 00:47:08,416
The keys are in the car.
856
00:47:08,500 --> 00:47:11,041
Our buddies jump
in their car and speed off
857
00:47:11,125 --> 00:47:12,666
like 100 miles an hour going to find
858
00:47:12,750 --> 00:47:14,291
an extra spare set of keys,
859
00:47:14,375 --> 00:47:16,125
but it's still 20 miles down the road.
860
00:47:16,208 --> 00:47:19,250
And so at this point,
we're late for our reservation
861
00:47:19,333 --> 00:47:21,833
and Chris is just like,
he looks like a ghost,
862
00:47:21,916 --> 00:47:23,000
he was just beside himself,
863
00:47:23,083 --> 00:47:25,833
'cause he never wanted to be
the guy holding people up.
864
00:47:25,916 --> 00:47:27,750
So we decided to pretend that…
865
00:47:27,833 --> 00:47:31,375
Chris only had a couple
of seconds left to breathe,
866
00:47:31,458 --> 00:47:33,041
so he had like a minute left.
867
00:47:33,125 --> 00:47:36,000
[Chris] And he's like, "Do these
breathing exercises with me."
868
00:47:36,083 --> 00:47:38,666
And he's like… [breathing deeply]
869
00:47:38,750 --> 00:47:40,708
And we go through
this breathing routine
870
00:47:40,791 --> 00:47:42,625
and I just bust out laughing.
871
00:47:42,708 --> 00:47:45,833
That moment almost ruined my day,
872
00:47:45,916 --> 00:47:48,083
it almost ruined my whole night.
873
00:47:48,166 --> 00:47:50,666
Instead, we laughed about it,
we joked about it,
874
00:47:50,750 --> 00:47:52,958
and we moved forward
and had a great night.
875
00:47:55,625 --> 00:47:57,666
[Alex Peterson] Chris was gone
for all those months
876
00:47:57,750 --> 00:47:59,708
and then all of a sudden he comes back
877
00:47:59,791 --> 00:48:02,375
and it's like having
a newborn baby sit on your lap
878
00:48:02,458 --> 00:48:04,500
and be responsible for it
at 18 years old.
879
00:48:04,625 --> 00:48:06,541
From the beginning,
when he came back to campus,
880
00:48:06,625 --> 00:48:09,958
we were all Chris's caregivers,
everyone on the football team really,
881
00:48:10,041 --> 00:48:12,375
but especially the group of, you know,
882
00:48:12,458 --> 00:48:15,291
eight guys that were in our dorm.
883
00:48:15,916 --> 00:48:19,250
And a lot of times
that just meant like,
884
00:48:19,333 --> 00:48:21,333
you know, helping him brush his teeth
885
00:48:21,416 --> 00:48:24,958
or helping him get his shoes on
in the morning,
886
00:48:25,041 --> 00:48:26,375
helping him get ready for bed.
887
00:48:26,458 --> 00:48:30,166
It was kind of like,
we were all kind of single dads
888
00:48:30,250 --> 00:48:31,666
for Chris for a little bit,
889
00:48:31,750 --> 00:48:34,500
which was a really interesting
bonding experience.
890
00:48:34,625 --> 00:48:36,916
They're helping me push to class.
891
00:48:37,000 --> 00:48:38,625
Just help me with everything,
892
00:48:38,708 --> 00:48:41,416
just get me to anywhere on campus,
893
00:48:41,500 --> 00:48:43,250
anywhere in the town.
894
00:48:43,333 --> 00:48:47,000
I remember us all sitting together
and almost strategically planning out,
895
00:48:47,083 --> 00:48:48,916
who's going to take care of Chris,
which day,
896
00:48:49,000 --> 00:48:50,541
when he first got back to college
897
00:48:50,625 --> 00:48:54,083
it was, all of us had to come together
and grow up pretty fast,
898
00:48:54,166 --> 00:48:57,333
you know, because we had
his life in our hands.
899
00:48:57,416 --> 00:49:01,208
The transition for Chris
from his chair to bed every night,
900
00:49:01,291 --> 00:49:03,333
I can remember doing
that right away.
901
00:49:03,416 --> 00:49:08,166
You know, you stand him up
and he shakes.
902
00:49:08,250 --> 00:49:10,708
You can feel a person that you're holding,
903
00:49:11,625 --> 00:49:15,791
that can't control that
and you have his weight,
904
00:49:15,875 --> 00:49:20,375
and I think that moment is
super intimate between you two
905
00:49:20,458 --> 00:49:22,708
because he needs you,
physically needs you to do that,
906
00:49:22,791 --> 00:49:27,291
but also because
you can feel that difference.
907
00:49:27,375 --> 00:49:29,208
I mean, Chris and I were roommates before,
908
00:49:29,291 --> 00:49:32,708
but we were literally bed mates
for that first year
909
00:49:32,791 --> 00:49:36,000
'cause Chris would oftentimes
have trouble sleeping
910
00:49:36,083 --> 00:49:39,083
and it was helpful
if you had to scratch an itch,
911
00:49:39,166 --> 00:49:43,833
or if you had to move his arm
in a certain area.
912
00:49:43,916 --> 00:49:46,875
Uh, it was kind of like
a special club of all the guys
913
00:49:46,958 --> 00:49:48,625
who would help out Chris
914
00:49:48,708 --> 00:49:50,375
and we always used to play this game,
915
00:49:50,458 --> 00:49:52,791
"Who in this room
has slept with Chris Norton?"
916
00:49:52,875 --> 00:49:55,000
"Who in this room
has slept in the same bed?"
917
00:49:55,083 --> 00:49:57,833
And it was half of the guys in the room,
918
00:49:57,916 --> 00:50:00,958
like, "Yeah,
I've done the caregiver stint."
919
00:50:01,041 --> 00:50:03,291
So at first it was just like,
920
00:50:03,375 --> 00:50:05,875
you know, we have too many people
even to help out.
921
00:50:06,791 --> 00:50:09,708
Obviously,
school was really tough at first,
922
00:50:09,833 --> 00:50:11,666
I was taking 12 credits,
923
00:50:11,750 --> 00:50:14,291
I was trying to be
part of the football team.
924
00:50:14,416 --> 00:50:18,375
I just wanna talk to you guys
about being able to compete.
925
00:50:18,458 --> 00:50:23,208
There's nothing I miss more
than competition.
926
00:50:23,291 --> 00:50:26,000
[announcer] Honorary
pro-captain Chris Norton.
927
00:50:26,083 --> 00:50:28,625
[crowd cheering]
928
00:50:28,875 --> 00:50:32,583
[Del] I think a lot of
what makes Chris what he is,
929
00:50:32,666 --> 00:50:33,916
was his passion for football
930
00:50:34,000 --> 00:50:36,083
and I think that
that showed in how he played
931
00:50:36,166 --> 00:50:40,000
and it shows now in, you know,
how he still feels about the game.
932
00:50:40,083 --> 00:50:43,416
When you go and ask him
about that play, he says
933
00:50:43,500 --> 00:50:46,041
if he had to go back
and do it all over again, he would.
934
00:50:46,125 --> 00:50:49,166
That to me is one of the most
telling statements about him.
935
00:50:49,250 --> 00:50:52,500
I know Chris was super passionate about
936
00:50:52,583 --> 00:50:54,125
being a Luther football player,
937
00:50:54,208 --> 00:50:58,458
and so for us it was like,
we can go win for Chris.
938
00:50:58,541 --> 00:51:00,750
I mean,
that's all we can do at this point.
939
00:51:02,458 --> 00:51:05,333
[Chris] It's such a huge transition
to try to do schoolwork
940
00:51:05,416 --> 00:51:07,958
and reading and tests, papers.
941
00:51:08,375 --> 00:51:11,541
It was a lot. I was going
from early morning to late at night,
942
00:51:11,625 --> 00:51:15,208
but it was so fun,
I enjoyed just being there with everybody
943
00:51:15,291 --> 00:51:18,416
and having that sense of normalcy,
it was really great.
944
00:51:18,500 --> 00:51:21,083
So little by little,
he kept adding things in
945
00:51:21,166 --> 00:51:24,041
and then he started doing
workouts on campus
946
00:51:24,125 --> 00:51:26,291
and he had his equipment brought here
947
00:51:26,375 --> 00:51:29,333
and he would let us
go and take him to work out
948
00:51:29,416 --> 00:51:33,000
and that turned in
from a 20, 30 minute ordeal
949
00:51:33,083 --> 00:51:35,625
to twice a day, two, three hour ordeal.
950
00:51:35,708 --> 00:51:37,208
It was pretty incredible because
951
00:51:37,291 --> 00:51:40,333
you kept thinking, okay,
we're gonna hit a wall
952
00:51:40,416 --> 00:51:42,250
at a certain point and he never did.
953
00:51:44,291 --> 00:51:47,250
To the point where he started
asking to stand up
954
00:51:47,333 --> 00:51:49,458
and try to stand unassisted
955
00:51:49,625 --> 00:51:51,416
and when he first said
that was gonna happen,
956
00:51:51,500 --> 00:51:53,375
it was like,
we haven't seen this Chris,
957
00:51:53,458 --> 00:51:55,875
like, you're not even supposed
to be here, you know?
958
00:51:56,000 --> 00:51:58,250
And then he started doing it, man,
959
00:51:58,333 --> 00:52:00,958
and he's incredible in that way.
960
00:52:01,041 --> 00:52:01,916
[woman 1] Holy cow.
961
00:52:02,000 --> 00:52:04,625
[woman 2] You, Chris Norton.
962
00:52:04,708 --> 00:52:08,583
It's something
that I always note to myself,
963
00:52:08,666 --> 00:52:12,625
is like, how many times
they would go out of their way
964
00:52:12,708 --> 00:52:14,208
to make sure I was okay,
965
00:52:14,291 --> 00:52:16,666
go out of their way to help me out
966
00:52:16,750 --> 00:52:18,583
when it wasn't convenient for them.
967
00:52:18,666 --> 00:52:20,708
You know, it takes a lot of extra work
and effort
968
00:52:20,791 --> 00:52:22,708
to help me out
and to get anywhere,
969
00:52:22,791 --> 00:52:25,291
and they were just willing
to include me on everything.
970
00:52:25,375 --> 00:52:26,583
They didn't care.
971
00:52:26,666 --> 00:52:30,083
They just made me feel so comfortable
about doing anything with them.
972
00:52:30,166 --> 00:52:32,000
People would always go
tubing down the river,
973
00:52:32,083 --> 00:52:33,958
it was just kind of
the summer thing to do,
974
00:52:34,041 --> 00:52:35,958
we have such cold winters,
when we have summer,
975
00:52:36,041 --> 00:52:37,208
we gotta do something.
976
00:52:37,291 --> 00:52:39,125
So, you know, Chris,
977
00:52:39,208 --> 00:52:40,958
I don't remember
who came up with the idea,
978
00:52:41,041 --> 00:52:42,833
but Chris wanted to tube down the river.
979
00:52:42,916 --> 00:52:44,541
And with a team of football guys,
980
00:52:44,625 --> 00:52:46,708
we could always get Chris
wherever we wanted to go.
981
00:52:46,791 --> 00:52:51,000
There was no such thing
as a non-accessible building or space.
982
00:52:51,083 --> 00:52:52,750
So we put that to the test
983
00:52:52,833 --> 00:52:55,666
and the river was probably
a little too high at this point,
984
00:52:55,750 --> 00:52:59,000
but we took him inside
and got him on this giant
985
00:52:59,083 --> 00:53:02,583
inflatable tube
and of course, he burns like crazy.
986
00:53:02,666 --> 00:53:05,541
And so we slathered him in sunscreen,
987
00:53:05,625 --> 00:53:08,500
like 30 football guys
just floating down the river
988
00:53:08,583 --> 00:53:10,875
and Chris is just
the captain of the armada.
989
00:53:10,958 --> 00:53:12,500
-Are you guys ready?
-Yeah.
990
00:53:13,208 --> 00:53:14,875
As soon as we put him in the tube
991
00:53:14,958 --> 00:53:17,000
and we got moving down the river,
992
00:53:17,083 --> 00:53:20,666
it was like the whole thing
was just normal.
993
00:53:21,333 --> 00:53:23,625
And you could tell his face relaxed
994
00:53:23,708 --> 00:53:26,500
and he was just happy
to be out in the sun
995
00:53:26,583 --> 00:53:28,500
and hanging out with all the guys.
996
00:53:28,583 --> 00:53:30,708
[Alex Peterson] To put
all those distractions aside
997
00:53:30,791 --> 00:53:32,833
and be able to just be
with the guys for a day
998
00:53:32,916 --> 00:53:35,916
tubing on the river, I mean,
that's all you can ask for.
999
00:53:39,708 --> 00:53:42,416
I was very anxious
and nervous about dating
1000
00:53:42,500 --> 00:53:46,625
because I know there's…
I come with a lot of responsibilities.
1001
00:53:46,708 --> 00:53:51,625
I need a lot of help with a lot of things
that you should be independent on.
1002
00:53:52,000 --> 00:53:55,875
And to be with somebody
that would have to take on
1003
00:53:55,958 --> 00:53:58,958
a lot of that load was nerve-wracking.
1004
00:53:59,041 --> 00:54:01,583
I feel like I had
high standards for a girl,
1005
00:54:01,666 --> 00:54:02,750
I wanted the perfect girl.
1006
00:54:02,833 --> 00:54:06,541
I don't want to date anybody
until I found that one,
1007
00:54:06,625 --> 00:54:08,666
and would I ever find anybody.
1008
00:54:09,250 --> 00:54:11,791
And so I kind of went through college
not dating,
1009
00:54:12,500 --> 00:54:16,875
but then it all made sense
to why I was waiting
1010
00:54:16,958 --> 00:54:21,166
until I met Emily and when I met Emily,
everything changed.
1011
00:54:23,666 --> 00:54:25,541
[Emily Summers] I grew up
in Muscatine, Iowa,
1012
00:54:25,625 --> 00:54:29,041
it's kind of a smaller town,
best parents in the world.
1013
00:54:29,125 --> 00:54:33,208
They're so caring, loving,
taught us so many great values,
1014
00:54:33,291 --> 00:54:34,625
which is being kind to others,
1015
00:54:34,708 --> 00:54:37,458
doing what you can do
to help other people out.
1016
00:54:38,291 --> 00:54:40,208
Growing up,
I would say in high school,
1017
00:54:40,291 --> 00:54:42,625
I started really finding
who I was as a person.
1018
00:54:43,333 --> 00:54:46,208
I got involved with
a lot of different mentoring
1019
00:54:46,291 --> 00:54:49,208
and nonprofits
and different things like that.
1020
00:54:49,291 --> 00:54:50,833
And I just absolutely loved those,
1021
00:54:50,916 --> 00:54:53,458
I was completely hooked
on doing everything I could
1022
00:54:53,541 --> 00:54:54,750
to help other people.
1023
00:54:54,833 --> 00:54:57,708
So that's what life is all about,
challenges.
1024
00:54:57,791 --> 00:55:00,541
-Right.
-Absolutely, overcoming those challenges
1025
00:55:00,625 --> 00:55:01,958
and you always learn something
1026
00:55:02,041 --> 00:55:04,250
from each challenge
you go through and each obstacle.
1027
00:55:04,333 --> 00:55:05,208
That's right.
1028
00:55:06,041 --> 00:55:07,916
I just want to make a difference.
1029
00:55:08,041 --> 00:55:10,458
[Oprah] Well, this is what
everybody needs to know,
1030
00:55:10,541 --> 00:55:13,750
who has lofty goals
of making a difference.
1031
00:55:13,833 --> 00:55:16,000
Start in your own house.
1032
00:55:16,083 --> 00:55:18,125
[audience cheering]
1033
00:55:18,208 --> 00:55:20,000
[Emily]
So when I was in high school,
1034
00:55:20,125 --> 00:55:22,083
I started mentoring a girl named Whittley.
1035
00:55:22,166 --> 00:55:23,833
She ended up getting
taken out of her home
1036
00:55:23,916 --> 00:55:26,250
when she was 11 years old,
put in a group home.
1037
00:55:26,333 --> 00:55:29,916
The first time she was in the group home,
she got to spend Christmas with my family.
1038
00:55:30,000 --> 00:55:33,083
And I made her this scrapbook
with letters from family,
1039
00:55:33,166 --> 00:55:36,583
friends, her teachers.
She's sitting there crying,
1040
00:55:36,666 --> 00:55:39,833
11 years old, crying, and she goes,
1041
00:55:39,916 --> 00:55:42,500
"My heart has never felt like this."
1042
00:55:42,583 --> 00:55:43,958
That just broke my heart.
1043
00:55:44,041 --> 00:55:47,083
I'm like, "How have you
never felt this way?"
1044
00:55:47,166 --> 00:55:49,708
You know? How has somebody
not loved you enough
1045
00:55:49,791 --> 00:55:52,666
to make you feel special,
to help you feel love?
1046
00:55:52,750 --> 00:55:56,500
So that was a big eye-opening
experience for me,
1047
00:55:56,583 --> 00:56:00,416
so I decided to then
go to school for family services.
1048
00:56:00,500 --> 00:56:04,291
I knew that I wanted to
do something to help kids,
1049
00:56:04,375 --> 00:56:06,250
especially in foster care.
1050
00:56:10,583 --> 00:56:15,208
I met Emily at first, a little bit online.
1051
00:56:15,291 --> 00:56:18,166
We were on social media
and started talking,
1052
00:56:18,250 --> 00:56:21,291
saw some pictures of him,
thought he was really cute.
1053
00:56:21,375 --> 00:56:24,416
I was asking him
all these personal questions,
1054
00:56:24,500 --> 00:56:26,375
because I'm so curious
1055
00:56:26,458 --> 00:56:28,416
and just want to get to know people.
1056
00:56:28,500 --> 00:56:32,250
I love trying to figure out
who people are on the inside.
1057
00:56:32,333 --> 00:56:35,333
Eventually, we just kept conversing
1058
00:56:35,416 --> 00:56:37,958
and wanted to meet up.
1059
00:56:38,041 --> 00:56:40,250
Let's go, buddy,
we gotta meet them downtown.
1060
00:56:40,333 --> 00:56:42,375
-I'm not gonna go.
-[Richie] We were gonna go out
1061
00:56:42,458 --> 00:56:45,541
that night and Chris was like,
"Actually, I have a date tonight."
1062
00:56:45,625 --> 00:56:48,291
At first we're like, "No, come on, Chris,
1063
00:56:48,375 --> 00:56:49,458
come out with your guys,
1064
00:56:49,541 --> 00:56:51,666
like, we're gonna have a fun night."
1065
00:56:51,750 --> 00:56:53,000
He's like, "No, I'm serious,
1066
00:56:53,083 --> 00:56:55,458
I wanna see what this girl's all about."
1067
00:56:55,541 --> 00:56:57,291
When Chris was wanting to meet me,
1068
00:56:57,375 --> 00:56:59,625
he's like, "Why don't you
just come over to this house?
1069
00:56:59,708 --> 00:57:01,500
My friends are here." I'm like, "No,
1070
00:57:01,583 --> 00:57:04,041
I'm not going over to the house,
I don't know you."
1071
00:57:04,125 --> 00:57:09,500
So we met in Ames
at this hotdog stand, outside.
1072
00:57:09,583 --> 00:57:10,958
I had to get a feel for him
1073
00:57:11,041 --> 00:57:13,083
and make sure he's a trustworthy guy.
1074
00:57:13,166 --> 00:57:16,583
And then I'll never forget
when I'm waiting there,
1075
00:57:16,666 --> 00:57:19,000
looking for her to meet me at the spot
1076
00:57:19,083 --> 00:57:25,041
and I see her facing me,
coming across the street.
1077
00:57:25,125 --> 00:57:28,041
[gentle music]
1078
00:57:29,250 --> 00:57:31,291
I was just in awe.
1079
00:57:31,583 --> 00:57:34,333
My jaw probably was hanging down.
1080
00:57:34,416 --> 00:57:36,375
I couldn't believe how beautiful she was.
1081
00:57:36,458 --> 00:57:38,250
[Emily] So I met him there,
1082
00:57:38,333 --> 00:57:41,500
and instantly,
we just had a strong connection,
1083
00:57:41,583 --> 00:57:43,375
just started talking
1084
00:57:43,458 --> 00:57:46,458
and there was never
an awkward moment that night.
1085
00:57:46,541 --> 00:57:49,625
We just kept talking,
it was fun, it was easy.
1086
00:57:49,708 --> 00:57:53,500
[Chris] We just hit it off,
kept meeting up with each other
1087
00:57:53,583 --> 00:57:56,333
and it was just an instant connection.
1088
00:57:57,125 --> 00:58:01,125
[gentle music]
1089
00:58:10,166 --> 00:58:11,708
[imperceptible]
1090
00:58:16,208 --> 00:58:18,375
[Chris] It was love at first sight for me.
1091
00:58:18,708 --> 00:58:20,375
It's a real thing.
1092
00:58:20,458 --> 00:58:22,791
[Emily] Chris didn't act like
he was in a wheelchair.
1093
00:58:22,875 --> 00:58:25,125
He was very comfortable
with who he was.
1094
00:58:25,208 --> 00:58:27,458
I saw Chris
as who he was as a person
1095
00:58:27,541 --> 00:58:30,041
and eventually I didn't
even see the wheelchair.
1096
00:58:30,125 --> 00:58:33,166
And just right away,
I knew she was an angel,
1097
00:58:33,250 --> 00:58:36,500
that this was somebody that was special.
1098
00:58:36,583 --> 00:58:39,583
Emily was just super down to earth,
1099
00:58:39,666 --> 00:58:43,791
super, like, bubbly and loved life
1100
00:58:43,875 --> 00:58:46,250
and she's been great for Chris.
1101
00:58:46,333 --> 00:58:51,791
100% didn't see him as anything
less than the great guy that he is.
1102
00:58:51,875 --> 00:58:55,041
We quickly saw that she was special
1103
00:58:55,125 --> 00:58:57,208
and we knew that definitely
they had something
1104
00:58:57,291 --> 00:58:58,250
from the beginning,
1105
00:58:58,333 --> 00:59:00,833
so we welcomed her into our little tribe
1106
00:59:00,916 --> 00:59:03,250
and we haven't really
looked back ever since.
1107
00:59:05,541 --> 00:59:08,500
[Emily] It was about a year
before his college graduation
1108
00:59:08,583 --> 00:59:11,875
and Chris came up
with the idea of wanting to walk
1109
00:59:12,208 --> 00:59:15,416
to get his diploma,
and when he brought it up to me,
1110
00:59:15,500 --> 00:59:19,458
I thought it was a great idea. It's like,
"Let's do it, let's make it work."
1111
00:59:19,541 --> 00:59:22,541
[Chris] I told her about my goal
and she was helping me
1112
00:59:22,625 --> 00:59:26,708
make it happen
and just instantly was my sidekick.
1113
00:59:26,791 --> 00:59:29,500
[Emily] And he starts talking about,
"I'm gonna make it public.
1114
00:59:29,583 --> 00:59:31,625
I'm going to announce publicly
on social media
1115
00:59:31,708 --> 00:59:33,875
that I'm going do it."
I'm like, "Oh, gosh."
1116
00:59:33,958 --> 00:59:35,416
[laughing] This is real.
1117
00:59:35,541 --> 00:59:38,083
And so I knew if I could
just constantly talk about
1118
00:59:38,166 --> 00:59:41,416
this goal that I was gonna
have to stay committed to it.
1119
00:59:41,500 --> 00:59:43,708
I had to be accountable for this goal,
1120
00:59:43,791 --> 00:59:46,250
if I'm gonna talk about it,
I gotta back it up.
1121
00:59:46,333 --> 00:59:49,500
I'm going to have to
bust everything I've got,
1122
00:59:49,583 --> 00:59:52,416
every single day
and not take a day off.
1123
00:59:52,500 --> 00:59:55,583
It's not easy and it doesn't come fast,
1124
00:59:55,666 --> 00:59:58,500
but if you keep at it
and you keep working hard
1125
00:59:58,583 --> 01:00:01,208
each and every day,
you know, good results will happen.
1126
01:00:01,500 --> 01:00:03,791
[male anchor] And now
Chris can stand on his own
1127
01:00:03,875 --> 01:00:06,500
and he can walk
if somebody is helping him.
1128
01:00:06,583 --> 01:00:08,750
He started a foundation,
the money purchases
1129
01:00:08,833 --> 01:00:11,583
therapy equipment like this,
for rehabilitation centers.
1130
01:00:11,666 --> 01:00:13,750
Next year, Chris will graduate
1131
01:00:13,833 --> 01:00:17,708
and he tells the Des Moines Register
he plans to walk to receive his diploma.
1132
01:00:17,791 --> 01:00:19,625
[female anchor] He is
an incredible young man.
1133
01:00:19,708 --> 01:00:22,416
He is, he's making a difference
in a lot of people's lives.
1134
01:00:22,500 --> 01:00:26,375
And I cannot wait to see him
walk across the stage to get that diploma.
1135
01:00:26,458 --> 01:00:27,625
Nobody doubts that he will.
1136
01:00:27,708 --> 01:00:30,000
Of course, I'm the one that
kinda encouraged him on this.
1137
01:00:30,083 --> 01:00:32,500
I've told him many times,
"Sometimes you have to set goals
1138
01:00:32,583 --> 01:00:34,583
when you have
no idea how to reach them."
1139
01:00:35,041 --> 01:00:36,916
You set a goal, at the time,
1140
01:00:37,000 --> 01:00:39,791
I don't know how I'm going to get there,
but this is the goal.
1141
01:00:39,875 --> 01:00:45,208
[Chris] When I made the goal to walk,
I still needed leg braces.
1142
01:00:45,291 --> 01:00:49,666
I needed multiple people
to help me walk and take steps.
1143
01:00:49,750 --> 01:00:55,125
It was a lot of effort
to just go a few yards
1144
01:00:55,208 --> 01:00:59,750
and it just took a lot of hands
and help to do so.
1145
01:00:59,833 --> 01:01:02,208
At this point, we had no idea
1146
01:01:02,291 --> 01:01:04,208
how he was going
to walk across the stage.
1147
01:01:04,291 --> 01:01:06,583
He was walking in this big walker.
1148
01:01:06,750 --> 01:01:10,083
So he had, like, a lot that he had to do,
in order to take steps.
1149
01:01:15,041 --> 01:01:18,791
Well, first, Emily was
the one that saw this video
1150
01:01:18,875 --> 01:01:23,875
of a quadriplegic
who was able to walk out
1151
01:01:23,958 --> 01:01:26,208
on the football field of a Michigan game.
1152
01:01:26,291 --> 01:01:28,875
And she watched the video
and she found out
1153
01:01:28,958 --> 01:01:32,458
who trained him
to go from wheelchair to walking.
1154
01:01:32,541 --> 01:01:37,958
And it was this Mike Barwis,
at Barwis Methods in Michigan.
1155
01:01:38,041 --> 01:01:40,833
So she's like,
"We need to go meet him, like,
1156
01:01:40,916 --> 01:01:44,041
this guy could really help
you out in his program."
1157
01:01:44,125 --> 01:01:46,916
I was about to finish school
a semester early
1158
01:01:47,000 --> 01:01:50,750
and decided that
what a great way to just get away
1159
01:01:50,875 --> 01:01:55,083
from any kind of distractions
with friends or family
1160
01:01:55,166 --> 01:01:58,083
or school, and just relocate
to Michigan temporarily,
1161
01:01:58,416 --> 01:02:00,291
just to focus on my training.
1162
01:02:06,583 --> 01:02:10,458
So when Chris first came in, he said,
"I really wanna work on walking.
1163
01:02:10,541 --> 01:02:12,291
I have the graduation coming up."
1164
01:02:12,375 --> 01:02:16,083
He was committed to task,
he had a long road to haul…
1165
01:02:17,833 --> 01:02:22,250
Significant spasms, uh,
inability to maintain balance.
1166
01:02:23,125 --> 01:02:26,041
Couldn't really control
his contractions properly,
1167
01:02:26,166 --> 01:02:28,458
was not in a place to be able to walk,
1168
01:02:29,500 --> 01:02:31,958
but was willing
to pay the price to do it.
1169
01:02:33,666 --> 01:02:38,166
There were three to five hours a day
of rigorous work,
1170
01:02:38,250 --> 01:02:40,166
both mentally and physically.
1171
01:02:40,250 --> 01:02:43,333
You're talking about a guy
who everything in his body
1172
01:02:43,416 --> 01:02:45,833
and in his mind is telling him to quit
1173
01:02:45,916 --> 01:02:48,291
and you're asking him to go 10 more.
1174
01:02:48,375 --> 01:02:50,500
It's got to come down
to two major things,
1175
01:02:51,166 --> 01:02:52,666
God's will and your work,
1176
01:02:52,750 --> 01:02:54,375
but you got to put in the work,
1177
01:02:54,458 --> 01:02:56,541
'cause he's not just
gonna hand it to you.
1178
01:02:56,625 --> 01:02:59,000
And it's the same thing,
anything great in life you want,
1179
01:02:59,083 --> 01:03:00,416
you've gotta earn it.
1180
01:03:03,875 --> 01:03:06,833
But the level of commitment
that that takes is not ordinary.
1181
01:03:07,791 --> 01:03:11,750
It never will be,
and nobody can do it for him,
1182
01:03:12,166 --> 01:03:13,416
nobody can bail him out.
1183
01:03:14,375 --> 01:03:18,541
You can't step in his body
and change the circumstance.
1184
01:03:18,625 --> 01:03:21,125
The reality is he's gotta bear it.
1185
01:03:21,916 --> 01:03:25,125
Chris possesses a fortitude
1186
01:03:25,250 --> 01:03:27,708
that most men and women
who walk this earth
1187
01:03:27,791 --> 01:03:29,083
can only dream of.
1188
01:03:30,916 --> 01:03:35,791
And because of that,
where he ends up, limitless.
1189
01:03:42,541 --> 01:03:44,916
[Emily] When I moved to Michigan with him,
1190
01:03:45,000 --> 01:03:48,416
I was his full-time caregiver
and helped with everything
1191
01:03:48,500 --> 01:03:52,875
for over a year.
I was completely taking care of him,
1192
01:03:52,958 --> 01:03:55,583
taking care of myself,
that was definitely difficult.
1193
01:03:55,666 --> 01:03:57,458
Especially when you're in a relationship
1194
01:03:57,541 --> 01:04:00,333
with this person,
and you have to help them with things.
1195
01:04:00,416 --> 01:04:02,000
He doesn't want the help obviously,
1196
01:04:02,083 --> 01:04:04,458
he wants to be able
to do those things himself.
1197
01:04:04,541 --> 01:04:07,000
And then I'm helping him,
so it was a little frustrating
1198
01:04:07,083 --> 01:04:09,625
sometimes when I felt like
he wasn't appreciating it.
1199
01:04:09,708 --> 01:04:11,750
We got into arguments about that.
1200
01:04:11,833 --> 01:04:14,250
"I just wanna know
that what I'm doing matters
1201
01:04:14,333 --> 01:04:18,041
and you appreciate it"
and all of that, 'cause it was a lot.
1202
01:04:18,916 --> 01:04:21,541
[Chris] From sunup to sundown,
she was helping me
1203
01:04:21,625 --> 01:04:25,541
and it was a lot for her,
as anyone can imagine,
1204
01:04:25,625 --> 01:04:27,125
it was just nonstop.
1205
01:04:27,250 --> 01:04:31,333
Completely just dove in
to helping him make this goal possible.
1206
01:04:31,416 --> 01:04:34,250
He was working four to five hours
every single day.
1207
01:04:34,333 --> 01:04:36,708
Sometimes even more,
he would work out,
1208
01:04:36,791 --> 01:04:39,041
have this long four-hour workout
and he'd come home
1209
01:04:39,125 --> 01:04:40,750
and wanna do like two hours more.
1210
01:04:42,250 --> 01:04:46,625
Shortly before,
we got my brother's high school gown,
1211
01:04:46,708 --> 01:04:48,041
his graduation gown
1212
01:04:48,125 --> 01:04:51,708
and I would wear the dress
I was gonna wear.
1213
01:04:51,791 --> 01:04:55,750
So we would practice walking
and make sure, like,
1214
01:04:55,833 --> 01:04:58,625
we, you know, had the right shoes
and everything.
1215
01:05:00,208 --> 01:05:02,750
I feel like I'm a wizard
from Harry Potter.
1216
01:05:02,833 --> 01:05:05,000
[laughing]
1217
01:05:07,375 --> 01:05:09,000
[Emily speaks indistinctly]
1218
01:05:10,541 --> 01:05:13,375
Couple of weeks before,
I was stressing out,
1219
01:05:13,458 --> 01:05:16,625
I was freaking out,
I felt like I was regressing
1220
01:05:16,708 --> 01:05:18,666
and things were getting worse.
1221
01:05:18,750 --> 01:05:20,375
Was I going to be able to do it?
1222
01:05:21,416 --> 01:05:23,625
You're right there,
come on, pull it through.
1223
01:05:23,708 --> 01:05:25,041
You're so close, come on.
1224
01:05:28,166 --> 01:05:29,000
[Chris groans]
1225
01:05:30,375 --> 01:05:31,583
You wanna take a second?
1226
01:05:33,208 --> 01:05:36,666
And I remember him, like,
he just seemed so disappointed
1227
01:05:36,750 --> 01:05:39,916
and so sad and was
getting teary-eyed, too,
1228
01:05:40,000 --> 01:05:42,625
and he's just like, "Emily,
I don't know if I can do this.
1229
01:05:42,708 --> 01:05:44,375
I don't know if this is gonna work,
1230
01:05:44,458 --> 01:05:46,416
if I'll be able to walk across the stage.
1231
01:05:46,500 --> 01:05:48,250
I don't know how
I can make this happen."
1232
01:05:48,333 --> 01:05:52,458
And for me, I'm like instantly like,
"Chris, you can do this.
1233
01:05:52,541 --> 01:05:55,333
We're gonna do what we can,
we're gonna make this work."
1234
01:05:55,958 --> 01:06:00,000
[Mike] All of that pressure will fall
on your shoulders at some point.
1235
01:06:00,541 --> 01:06:04,291
And when it does,
you need somebody to help you stand
1236
01:06:05,041 --> 01:06:08,916
and we had a conversation,
I saw him struggling.
1237
01:06:09,000 --> 01:06:13,375
I saw his personality change a little bit
1238
01:06:13,458 --> 01:06:15,666
where he was,
you could tell he was sad.
1239
01:06:15,750 --> 01:06:18,291
He was feeling a little withdrawn,
he was a little depressed
1240
01:06:18,375 --> 01:06:20,791
and he was struggling with
what was about to happen
1241
01:06:20,875 --> 01:06:22,625
and whether or not he could achieve it.
1242
01:06:22,708 --> 01:06:26,083
It's no different than somebody
who spends their entire life
1243
01:06:26,166 --> 01:06:27,916
wrestling and they make the Olympics
1244
01:06:28,000 --> 01:06:30,750
and now they're going,
"What do I do now?
1245
01:06:30,833 --> 01:06:33,166
What if I don't win?"
1246
01:06:36,541 --> 01:06:37,541
What if you do?
1247
01:06:39,458 --> 01:06:42,166
You just got to go at it
as hard as you possibly can
1248
01:06:42,333 --> 01:06:44,208
and let the chips
fall where they may.
1249
01:06:44,750 --> 01:06:48,250
And if you're willing to do
everything you possibly can do,
1250
01:06:48,333 --> 01:06:50,416
then you have absolutely no regrets.
1251
01:06:51,416 --> 01:06:54,541
If you're unwilling,
for the rest of your life,
1252
01:06:54,625 --> 01:06:57,416
you'll think back and wonder,
1253
01:06:57,500 --> 01:06:59,666
"Could I have been greater?"
1254
01:07:01,000 --> 01:07:03,500
Because greatness isn't in me,
it's not in the air,
1255
01:07:04,041 --> 01:07:05,083
it's in him.
1256
01:07:06,583 --> 01:07:09,000
Truth is,
all he's gotta do is get it out.
1257
01:07:09,208 --> 01:07:12,625
[gentle music]
1258
01:07:13,916 --> 01:07:17,375
[Emily] We came back to Iowa
for the graduation walk.
1259
01:07:17,458 --> 01:07:21,375
Chris had another little plan,
that I didn't know about,
1260
01:07:21,458 --> 01:07:23,958
the day before
he walks across the stage.
1261
01:07:24,666 --> 01:07:27,333
He told me that we are
going to get an interview
1262
01:07:27,416 --> 01:07:30,958
so that I was gonna be
dressed nice and look nice.
1263
01:07:31,041 --> 01:07:35,208
He said we had to go to a restaurant
'cause the lady there he was close with
1264
01:07:35,291 --> 01:07:37,250
and she was going
to give him a graduation gift.
1265
01:07:37,333 --> 01:07:39,625
We were gonna go pick it up
and then do the interview.
1266
01:07:39,708 --> 01:07:43,416
So we went there,
then she led us into another room.
1267
01:07:43,500 --> 01:07:46,083
She's like, "Oh, it's back here."
I'm like, "Huh?"
1268
01:07:46,166 --> 01:07:48,000
That's a little weird, but all right.
1269
01:07:48,083 --> 01:07:49,958
She's like, "It's big."
I'm like, "Okay."
1270
01:07:50,041 --> 01:07:53,333
I started lining things up,
like having her family,
1271
01:07:53,416 --> 01:07:55,625
my family and friends there.
1272
01:07:56,750 --> 01:07:58,750
I wanted to propose her and surprise her
1273
01:07:58,833 --> 01:08:01,541
by having rose petals
on the ground saying,
1274
01:08:01,625 --> 01:08:02,708
"Will you marry me?"
1275
01:08:03,833 --> 01:08:06,875
-[Emily] Oh, my gosh.
-Come in here.
1276
01:08:06,958 --> 01:08:09,083
[indistinct talking]
1277
01:08:09,208 --> 01:08:10,875
There's no doubt in my mind.
1278
01:08:10,958 --> 01:08:13,416
You're the most amazing
person I ever met in my life.
1279
01:08:13,500 --> 01:08:16,875
Will you please marry me
and share the rest of my life together?
1280
01:08:16,958 --> 01:08:18,916
[Emily] Yes.
1281
01:08:28,666 --> 01:08:31,458
I could not believe that Chris
was gonna add that into it
1282
01:08:31,541 --> 01:08:34,458
when he had all of this stress
of the graduation walk,
1283
01:08:34,541 --> 01:08:37,625
like he was gonna add
the wedding proposal as well.
1284
01:08:38,583 --> 01:08:40,541
So it was such a special moment,
1285
01:08:40,625 --> 01:08:43,791
we, like, celebrated it
for a while with the proposal
1286
01:08:43,875 --> 01:08:46,166
and went to dinner
and everything, hung out.
1287
01:08:46,791 --> 01:08:50,375
And then it was like, go back
and get prepared for tomorrow
1288
01:08:50,458 --> 01:08:53,416
'cause we've been working
for this for the last year.
1289
01:08:53,500 --> 01:08:56,541
What was incredible
was that person that
1290
01:08:56,625 --> 01:09:01,083
was gonna walk me across
the stage would be my fiancée Emily.
1291
01:09:01,166 --> 01:09:03,291
I went to that graduation walk knowing
1292
01:09:03,375 --> 01:09:07,708
I busted myself for years
to make this happen
1293
01:09:07,791 --> 01:09:10,500
and if I trip and fall, so be it.
1294
01:09:19,000 --> 01:09:23,208
Graduation day, we wake up
extremely early in the morning
1295
01:09:23,291 --> 01:09:27,000
because the longer I'm upright
and, like, in my chair
1296
01:09:27,083 --> 01:09:30,791
and, like, active,
the better I'll do later on in the day.
1297
01:09:30,875 --> 01:09:33,333
Sometimes his body's, like, more shutdown
1298
01:09:33,416 --> 01:09:36,375
and it's… He can't take a step
and he really struggles.
1299
01:09:36,458 --> 01:09:39,000
So are we gonna get up there
and he's gonna stand up
1300
01:09:39,083 --> 01:09:41,041
and not be able to take a step?
1301
01:09:41,125 --> 01:09:44,333
[Chris] Yeah, just trying to get
my mind in the right place
1302
01:09:44,416 --> 01:09:45,458
but I was so nervous.
1303
01:09:45,583 --> 01:09:47,708
It was like a game day
where I'm just like,
1304
01:09:47,791 --> 01:09:50,750
had so much pent up energy and anxiousness
1305
01:09:50,833 --> 01:09:52,250
and I was just in the zone.
1306
01:09:52,458 --> 01:09:55,041
[Emily] Obviously, there are gonna be
a lot of people there
1307
01:09:55,125 --> 01:09:57,166
and you only get one shot at it.
1308
01:09:57,250 --> 01:09:59,583
And I was like,
"Oh, my gosh, that'd be terrible."
1309
01:09:59,666 --> 01:10:02,708
I would feel so bad for him,
if he wasn't able to like,
1310
01:10:02,791 --> 01:10:05,083
at least take a few steps
to get his diploma.
1311
01:10:05,250 --> 01:10:07,833
-[man speaking indistinctly]
-[students cheering]
1312
01:10:08,375 --> 01:10:10,833
[Chris] I remember approaching that,
the ramp.
1313
01:10:10,916 --> 01:10:13,625
[man] Madison Noel, magna cum laude.
1314
01:10:16,958 --> 01:10:19,333
[Chris] Getting up on the ramp
and then getting set up,
1315
01:10:19,416 --> 01:10:22,750
just being like, let's go,
I'm ready to do this.
1316
01:10:22,833 --> 01:10:24,500
[man] Christopher Norton.
1317
01:10:25,416 --> 01:10:29,416
[audience cheering]
1318
01:10:35,208 --> 01:10:36,500
[imperceptible]
1319
01:11:07,583 --> 01:11:09,875
[Emily] As he's taking a few steps,
I look up at Chris
1320
01:11:09,958 --> 01:11:12,875
and I'm just so happy
and so relieved,
1321
01:11:12,958 --> 01:11:15,833
and then just completely
in the moment with Chris.
1322
01:11:15,916 --> 01:11:17,666
[audience continues cheering]
1323
01:11:27,708 --> 01:11:31,708
[audience cheering louder]
1324
01:11:35,208 --> 01:11:37,333
[Emily] When you see someone
that you love so much,
1325
01:11:37,416 --> 01:11:41,625
work super hard
and then he's making the hard work
1326
01:11:41,708 --> 01:11:44,958
pay off and he's making
his goal and dream a reality,
1327
01:11:45,041 --> 01:11:46,791
like, there's nothing better.
1328
01:11:48,125 --> 01:11:52,458
[audience cheering]
1329
01:11:53,458 --> 01:11:57,958
[Deb] It was just such,
it was just pure joy.
1330
01:11:58,166 --> 01:12:03,125
When he was hurt, will he be
able to go back to college?
1331
01:12:03,416 --> 01:12:06,000
Will he graduate?
Will he meet somebody?
1332
01:12:06,083 --> 01:12:09,708
I mean, everything I had
just worried about,
1333
01:12:10,458 --> 01:12:12,375
it was all, it all happened.
1334
01:12:12,583 --> 01:12:14,083
And that was that moment.
1335
01:12:15,375 --> 01:12:17,166
Everything he'd gone through
1336
01:12:17,625 --> 01:12:19,958
and all the battles he's had to face
1337
01:12:20,250 --> 01:12:24,666
and to see that moment
where he had worked so hard for this,
1338
01:12:24,750 --> 01:12:28,958
and to see it come true,
it was just incredible.
1339
01:12:29,583 --> 01:12:31,833
[Mike] Watching that young man
walk across there,
1340
01:12:33,916 --> 01:12:35,833
come on, you can do
whatever you want to do,
1341
01:12:35,916 --> 01:12:38,166
but seeing a young man take steps,
1342
01:12:39,000 --> 01:12:42,291
with his future bride,
and accept his diploma,
1343
01:12:42,375 --> 01:12:44,250
when the world said
it was impossible,
1344
01:12:45,458 --> 01:12:46,708
that's pretty awesome.
1345
01:12:49,083 --> 01:12:53,416
[Chris] News stations from around
the world, magazines, newspapers,
1346
01:12:53,500 --> 01:12:59,041
like everything just flooded my emails,
asking for the story.
1347
01:12:59,125 --> 01:13:01,541
And it was just like, it happened so fast.
1348
01:13:01,625 --> 01:13:05,208
After a devastating accident,
he vowed to walk again
1349
01:13:05,291 --> 01:13:07,416
and he knew
where he wanted to do it, too,
1350
01:13:07,500 --> 01:13:09,208
his college graduation.
1351
01:13:09,291 --> 01:13:12,500
[interviewer] This'll be the most
inspirational story you hear all day long.
1352
01:13:12,583 --> 01:13:14,875
A college football player
paralyzed from the neck down
1353
01:13:14,958 --> 01:13:17,208
in his freshman year,
does the incredible
1354
01:13:17,291 --> 01:13:20,166
just four years later at graduation,
watch this.
1355
01:13:20,291 --> 01:13:24,458
[audience cheering]
1356
01:13:24,541 --> 01:13:26,833
Something big happened
leading up to that video
1357
01:13:26,916 --> 01:13:30,208
that we just saw.
Chris, did you pop the question?
1358
01:13:30,291 --> 01:13:33,708
[Chris] You know what,
I did, I was so nervous,
1359
01:13:33,791 --> 01:13:36,000
but I asked the love of my life
to marry me.
1360
01:13:36,083 --> 01:13:38,083
[interviewer] What's your goal
for this year?
1361
01:13:38,166 --> 01:13:40,833
Well, now after my graduation walk,
1362
01:13:40,916 --> 01:13:43,750
I guess do a walk for our wedding.
1363
01:13:44,750 --> 01:13:46,458
We'll have to get that in motion
1364
01:13:46,541 --> 01:13:49,125
and I'm always looking
for the next step
1365
01:13:49,208 --> 01:13:52,750
and always keep progressing.
My journey's far from over.
1366
01:13:52,833 --> 01:13:55,833
We thought maybe the flurry was over
1367
01:13:55,916 --> 01:13:58,000
and we get a call from
Good Morning America
1368
01:13:58,083 --> 01:14:01,208
and they say,
"We wanna fly you out, tonight."
1369
01:14:01,666 --> 01:14:03,125
[Robin Roberts] Four years later,
1370
01:14:03,208 --> 01:14:06,333
the 23-year-old takes the stage
at his graduation,
1371
01:14:06,416 --> 01:14:08,291
leaving his wheelchair behind
1372
01:14:08,375 --> 01:14:11,916
and proposing just one day
before his momentous walk.
1373
01:14:13,125 --> 01:14:17,166
The couple preparing now
for their most important steps yet,
1374
01:14:17,541 --> 01:14:18,750
down the aisle.
1375
01:14:19,583 --> 01:14:22,833
Aw, it is a pleasure
and an honor to welcome
1376
01:14:22,916 --> 01:14:25,666
Chris Norton and his fiancée,
Emily Summers.
1377
01:14:25,750 --> 01:14:27,291
Yeah, your mom and dad are here.
1378
01:14:27,375 --> 01:14:29,416
How proud are you of your son?
1379
01:14:29,500 --> 01:14:31,916
Extremely proud, we go back
four and a half years ago
1380
01:14:32,000 --> 01:14:34,750
when all he could do is
nod his head up and down.
1381
01:14:34,833 --> 01:14:37,083
So we've known
how hard he's worked
1382
01:14:37,166 --> 01:14:39,958
to get to that point
on the graduation stage.
1383
01:14:41,000 --> 01:14:47,250
We had no idea that it would go viral,
or that we'd be on national television.
1384
01:14:47,666 --> 01:14:50,083
[Chris] Graduation walk just took it
1385
01:14:50,166 --> 01:14:54,250
to a whole other level of just
inspiring millions worldwide,
1386
01:14:54,333 --> 01:14:56,416
not just locally and through my state.
1387
01:14:56,500 --> 01:14:59,500
[Emily] So that was really cool
and getting messages from people
1388
01:14:59,583 --> 01:15:02,416
about, like, "You've helped me
believe in love again."
1389
01:15:02,500 --> 01:15:05,125
And, um,
"I've been really struggling with this
1390
01:15:05,208 --> 01:15:06,958
and I know I can get through it
1391
01:15:07,041 --> 01:15:09,583
and I'm gonna continue
to work hard and you've inspired me."
1392
01:15:09,666 --> 01:15:12,916
Like that was the best
part about it, for sure.
1393
01:15:13,000 --> 01:15:17,375
This is what I was waiting for early on
those hospital days, when I kept praying,
1394
01:15:17,458 --> 01:15:22,250
asking God, like, "What could be
the meaning behind this injury?"
1395
01:15:22,375 --> 01:15:26,333
To seeing it coming to fruition
was amazing.
1396
01:15:33,791 --> 01:15:36,416
I never really knew much
about the foster care system
1397
01:15:36,500 --> 01:15:40,333
and what that entailed,
but Emily has such a huge heart for it.
1398
01:15:40,416 --> 01:15:42,791
She's so compassionate,
she loves children,
1399
01:15:42,875 --> 01:15:45,708
especially children who have
come from difficult situations
1400
01:15:45,791 --> 01:15:47,500
and difficult circumstances.
1401
01:15:47,708 --> 01:15:52,000
And so she introduced this
foster care idea to me
1402
01:15:52,083 --> 01:15:55,375
when someone she mentored young
a long time ago,
1403
01:15:55,458 --> 01:15:58,166
at high school,
really needed a place to go
1404
01:15:58,250 --> 01:16:00,625
in order for her to graduate.
1405
01:16:02,458 --> 01:16:07,125
I go to Chris, I'm like,
"Chris, Whittley just called me,
1406
01:16:07,208 --> 01:16:08,750
she has nowhere else to go,
1407
01:16:08,833 --> 01:16:12,166
she's gonna go to a group home
and age out of foster care.
1408
01:16:12,791 --> 01:16:14,416
I cannot let that happen.
1409
01:16:15,083 --> 01:16:17,125
Can we please become foster parents
1410
01:16:17,208 --> 01:16:19,291
and do what we can to help her?"
1411
01:16:19,375 --> 01:16:21,291
She already talked to me about it that,
1412
01:16:21,375 --> 01:16:24,125
if I'm gonna marry her,
that we have to do foster care.
1413
01:16:24,208 --> 01:16:27,041
And I said, "That's fine."
But I did not expect to
1414
01:16:27,458 --> 01:16:30,958
get thrown into it
right away before we even married
1415
01:16:31,041 --> 01:16:35,208
and to not only foster any child,
but a 17-year-old child.
1416
01:16:35,291 --> 01:16:38,333
[Whittley] Emily and Chris
did say yes to doing foster care,
1417
01:16:38,416 --> 01:16:40,958
but that came with agreements.
1418
01:16:41,541 --> 01:16:45,625
I, one, had to show them that
I could work on getting better,
1419
01:16:45,708 --> 01:16:50,125
show them I could work on
learning to love myself.
1420
01:16:50,250 --> 01:16:52,541
I could let go of the past.
1421
01:16:52,958 --> 01:16:55,041
That was very hard for me.
1422
01:16:55,125 --> 01:16:57,291
I didn't believe that I deserved love
1423
01:16:57,375 --> 01:17:00,041
until Emily and Chris
did foster care for me.
1424
01:17:00,125 --> 01:17:04,333
♪ Happy birthday to you ♪
1425
01:17:04,416 --> 01:17:08,458
♪ Happy birthday to you ♪
1426
01:17:08,708 --> 01:17:11,416
♪ Happy birthday ♪
1427
01:17:13,333 --> 01:17:15,750
[Emily] And when Whittley moved out
and I go to Chris,
1428
01:17:15,833 --> 01:17:19,791
I'm like, "Chris, I wanna continue to do
foster care. Let's just do it."
1429
01:17:19,875 --> 01:17:22,541
I get a message from our licensing agent,
1430
01:17:22,666 --> 01:17:25,500
that they have four girls
coming into care.
1431
01:17:25,875 --> 01:17:28,083
-Um… eight and under.
-Four.
1432
01:17:28,166 --> 01:17:29,875
Not three, four.
1433
01:17:30,125 --> 01:17:36,250
Well, I figured out that I actually knew
a few of them from a place I used to work.
1434
01:17:36,833 --> 01:17:41,250
And when I figured that out,
in my mind, my mind was set.
1435
01:17:41,375 --> 01:17:43,541
I'm not separating these siblings.
1436
01:17:43,625 --> 01:17:46,250
They're gonna stay together
and they're going to be in our house.
1437
01:17:46,333 --> 01:17:47,916
Chris, what were your thoughts?
1438
01:17:48,875 --> 01:17:54,125
I was like, "What?
That's scary, I don't know these kids."
1439
01:17:55,416 --> 01:17:57,083
Okay, taking in four kids
1440
01:17:57,166 --> 01:18:00,583
and we already have one
with some different challenges.
1441
01:18:00,666 --> 01:18:02,000
Different challenges.
1442
01:18:02,083 --> 01:18:04,875
Seemed a little crazy, okay?
1443
01:18:05,583 --> 01:18:08,500
[Chris] I was completely scared,
I'm thinking this is insane.
1444
01:18:08,625 --> 01:18:12,541
We going from one to five
is a big jump.
1445
01:18:12,750 --> 01:18:14,041
[Emily] Yeah.
1446
01:18:14,125 --> 01:18:16,666
[girls giggling]
1447
01:18:16,750 --> 01:18:18,583
[girls screaming]
1448
01:18:18,666 --> 01:18:20,291
-[Emily babbling]
-[girl laughing]
1449
01:18:23,625 --> 01:18:26,458
-[Emily] Whatever you do, don't smile.
-[giggling]
1450
01:18:29,583 --> 01:18:31,208
-[girls] I belong.
-[Emily] I belong.
1451
01:18:31,291 --> 01:18:33,041
-[girl] I'm loved.
-[group] I'm loved.
1452
01:18:33,125 --> 01:18:35,333
-[girl] I'm special.
-[group] I'm special.
1453
01:18:35,416 --> 01:18:38,833
It's an incredible experience,
all you have to do is really love them
1454
01:18:38,916 --> 01:18:42,666
and give them a great environment
and they just love you back.
1455
01:18:43,458 --> 01:18:46,333
They need that love, they need that home.
1456
01:18:46,416 --> 01:18:49,833
And it's just unbelievable
to give them that opportunity
1457
01:18:49,916 --> 01:18:52,125
and I'm so thankful
that we're foster parents.
1458
01:18:52,208 --> 01:18:55,708
I thought what a crazy idea,
like, what are we getting ourselves into?
1459
01:18:55,791 --> 01:18:57,750
But it's been nothing but rewarding
1460
01:18:57,833 --> 01:19:00,000
and there's so many kids
who need a home
1461
01:19:01,083 --> 01:19:04,208
and to be able to provide a home,
it's worth it.
1462
01:19:04,875 --> 01:19:09,875
[both sing] ♪ You'll never know, dear
How much I love you ♪
1463
01:19:10,916 --> 01:19:15,250
♪ Please don't take my sunshine away ♪
1464
01:19:23,041 --> 01:19:25,583
We are here at Abaco Golf Club
1465
01:19:25,666 --> 01:19:27,791
and this is where we're getting married.
1466
01:19:27,958 --> 01:19:31,125
Um, we finally have set a date,
you guys, April 21st.
1467
01:19:31,208 --> 01:19:34,333
-Finally, Mom, we did it. We did it.
-Seriously, she's been waiting
1468
01:19:34,416 --> 01:19:36,000
for a while, it's been a long time.
1469
01:19:36,083 --> 01:19:38,166
We've been engaged
for a little too long, I'd say,
1470
01:19:38,250 --> 01:19:39,791
but it's all right, we're ready now.
1471
01:19:39,875 --> 01:19:41,750
We were engaged
for the perfect amount of time.
1472
01:19:41,833 --> 01:19:43,416
-That's true.
-Everybody, so…
1473
01:19:44,041 --> 01:19:47,416
[Chris] So that's really tough for me
to walk with someone at my hip
1474
01:19:47,500 --> 01:19:50,291
versus being in front where
they can adjust my weight,
1475
01:19:50,375 --> 01:19:52,166
side to side, forward and back.
1476
01:19:52,250 --> 01:19:55,791
At the side,
there's a lot of things up to chance
1477
01:19:55,916 --> 01:19:58,375
and so that's been
quite the learning curve
1478
01:19:58,458 --> 01:20:00,166
to try to figure out and maneuver,
1479
01:20:00,250 --> 01:20:02,375
how can you even
walk with someone at your hip
1480
01:20:02,458 --> 01:20:04,250
that's not very stable like myself.
1481
01:20:04,333 --> 01:20:06,833
So there's a lot of work
that needs to be done,
1482
01:20:06,916 --> 01:20:10,291
but I'm working at it all the time.
1483
01:20:10,375 --> 01:20:13,625
And be in that exact spot
that we're gonna get married
1484
01:20:13,708 --> 01:20:16,583
and Chris is gonna walk me down the aisle,
it was very surreal.
1485
01:20:16,666 --> 01:20:20,416
Um, it made things just like,
okay, this is happening.
1486
01:20:20,541 --> 01:20:23,375
Chris, Alex asks,
"What motivates you to continue
1487
01:20:23,458 --> 01:20:25,875
working day after day?"
It's a good one.
1488
01:20:27,333 --> 01:20:31,375
When you're passionate
about just getting better and improving,
1489
01:20:31,458 --> 01:20:33,833
you know that takes a lot of hard work
1490
01:20:33,916 --> 01:20:35,250
and it's an everyday thing.
1491
01:20:35,333 --> 01:20:38,666
So if I want to get the results,
I want to walk down the aisle,
1492
01:20:38,750 --> 01:20:41,916
then I have to put in the work today
it's not just gonna come naturally.
1493
01:20:42,000 --> 01:20:45,666
So that's just something
that I just care about.
1494
01:20:45,750 --> 01:20:47,125
You want to make it happen.
1495
01:20:47,208 --> 01:20:49,125
You're gonna do what it takes
to make it happen.
1496
01:20:49,208 --> 01:20:51,666
Work as hard as you can
each and every day.
1497
01:20:51,750 --> 01:20:54,708
That's something five times
a week for three hours,
1498
01:20:54,833 --> 01:20:56,833
I'm still training.
Although it's been
1499
01:20:56,916 --> 01:20:59,041
almost seven years out from my injury,
1500
01:20:59,125 --> 01:21:00,750
it's still important to me
1501
01:21:00,833 --> 01:21:02,750
and it's important to Emily, too.
1502
01:21:02,833 --> 01:21:05,291
I'm gonna walk her down
the aisle some way, somehow,
1503
01:21:05,375 --> 01:21:07,916
and we're gonna go seven yards.
1504
01:21:08,333 --> 01:21:10,583
And I wanna walk with her side by side.
1505
01:21:10,666 --> 01:21:12,500
[gentle music]
1506
01:21:12,583 --> 01:21:15,666
[Emily] We are gonna get
married in eight months.
1507
01:21:16,208 --> 01:21:17,875
We can't do it right now at all.
1508
01:21:17,958 --> 01:21:18,833
We can't do it.
1509
01:21:18,916 --> 01:21:20,375
I guess that's having faith,
1510
01:21:20,458 --> 01:21:22,375
is setting a goal and you don't know
1511
01:21:22,458 --> 01:21:25,708
how you're gonna get there
and I know they're working out the details
1512
01:21:25,791 --> 01:21:27,750
to make sure it happens and I can't wait.
1513
01:21:27,833 --> 01:21:30,875
I'm excited because I'll know
he's thrown
1514
01:21:30,958 --> 01:21:34,541
everything he's got into doing it
and making it happen.
1515
01:21:34,625 --> 01:21:36,583
Personally, I don't care.
1516
01:21:36,666 --> 01:21:39,708
If he wants to take one step or two steps
1517
01:21:39,791 --> 01:21:43,375
or just stand up or whatever
he wants to do, it's fine.
1518
01:21:43,458 --> 01:21:49,125
I know it means a lot to him,
but he's got… he has his future wife.
1519
01:21:49,208 --> 01:21:52,708
I mean, he's going
to be married, to me that is the…
1520
01:21:52,791 --> 01:21:55,041
I don't care about the walking
at that point.
1521
01:21:56,458 --> 01:21:57,833
-How you doing?
-Good morning.
1522
01:21:57,916 --> 01:21:58,791
You must be Nathan.
1523
01:21:58,875 --> 01:22:00,625
-So nice to meet you.
-Nice to meet you.
1524
01:22:00,708 --> 01:22:02,833
Thank you for being here, man,
we're so excited.
1525
01:22:02,958 --> 01:22:04,791
You know what would be
really neat on this?
1526
01:22:04,875 --> 01:22:07,333
If we can run this down,
how cool would this be, though?
1527
01:22:07,416 --> 01:22:08,875
If we could find one she loves
1528
01:22:08,958 --> 01:22:11,750
and then you could gift that
to her and put it in your home.
1529
01:22:11,833 --> 01:22:13,125
When it's all done, you're like,
1530
01:22:13,208 --> 01:22:15,125
"Hey, we got married
underneath the chandelier,
1531
01:22:15,208 --> 01:22:17,250
and now that's
a chandelier for your house."
1532
01:22:17,333 --> 01:22:20,541
Man, you're speaking her language.
I need you.
1533
01:22:20,666 --> 01:22:25,458
We'll be putting down a custom floor
that we had shipped in, custom made,
1534
01:22:25,541 --> 01:22:27,333
and we're actually vinyling the floor,
1535
01:22:27,416 --> 01:22:31,083
so every yard will have
a word from their Bible verse.
1536
01:22:31,166 --> 01:22:33,250
Almost it's unexplainable
1537
01:22:33,333 --> 01:22:37,875
and we wanna just give them
that moment to tell their story
1538
01:22:37,958 --> 01:22:39,291
and it's gonna be powerful.
1539
01:22:39,375 --> 01:22:43,208
Maybe, arguably the most powerful wedding
we've ever been a part of.
1540
01:22:43,291 --> 01:22:45,416
[Chris] I think something
that I've really talked
1541
01:22:45,500 --> 01:22:47,000
to other couples, married couples,
1542
01:22:47,083 --> 01:22:49,500
is that they always tell me and Emily,
1543
01:22:49,583 --> 01:22:52,916
"Enjoy the moment
and just really try to take it all in
1544
01:22:53,000 --> 01:22:57,833
and take a moment for yourself
to really reflect on this experience."
1545
01:23:00,958 --> 01:23:05,208
So typically, best man holds the rings.
What's the trust level here?
1546
01:23:05,291 --> 01:23:07,291
I can do it, I got this.
1547
01:23:07,958 --> 01:23:09,541
I'm gonna wear both of them.
1548
01:23:09,625 --> 01:23:11,375
Coach them up tonight.
1549
01:23:11,458 --> 01:23:14,916
The rehearsal was surreal
because it was the first,
1550
01:23:15,000 --> 01:23:16,750
kind of event of the wedding weekend.
1551
01:23:16,833 --> 01:23:22,083
And it just became
really visceral to us
1552
01:23:22,166 --> 01:23:25,083
and like a concrete moment,
whereas leading up to the wedding
1553
01:23:25,166 --> 01:23:26,708
it was all just kind of an idea,
1554
01:23:26,791 --> 01:23:29,250
and then we got there
and we looked around and we realized,
1555
01:23:29,333 --> 01:23:31,041
wow, this is happening.
1556
01:23:31,125 --> 01:23:33,208
Chris is gonna walk down the aisle,
1557
01:23:33,291 --> 01:23:35,583
we're all here together,
we finally did it.
1558
01:23:35,666 --> 01:23:38,000
And it was just kind of a moment of
1559
01:23:38,083 --> 01:23:41,750
so many things like relief, joy,
1560
01:23:41,833 --> 01:23:45,625
excitement, people from his community,
from Bondurant, people from college,
1561
01:23:45,708 --> 01:23:49,375
people from the football team,
people from Florida,
1562
01:23:49,458 --> 01:23:51,125
people all around are coming together
1563
01:23:51,208 --> 01:23:53,083
and their one connection
is they're celebrating
1564
01:23:53,166 --> 01:23:56,166
Chris and Emily.
It was a really special moment.
1565
01:23:56,250 --> 01:24:00,333
I think it's beautiful to reflect
and it's amazing to think about,
1566
01:24:00,916 --> 01:24:03,958
just seven years ago
and just how far I've come
1567
01:24:04,041 --> 01:24:06,208
in that time and to know that,
1568
01:24:06,291 --> 01:24:09,666
the power of faith,
the power of family and friends,
1569
01:24:09,750 --> 01:24:12,625
and just all coming together,
what it can lead to.
1570
01:24:12,708 --> 01:24:14,875
It literally led from
the worst day of my life
1571
01:24:14,958 --> 01:24:16,416
to the best day of my life.
1572
01:24:30,666 --> 01:24:34,291
[Deb] I think the one thing
that's touching my heart
1573
01:24:34,375 --> 01:24:36,708
are family and friends that are here.
1574
01:24:37,458 --> 01:24:39,625
They were with us this whole journey
1575
01:24:39,708 --> 01:24:44,000
and they're here
to celebrate this milestone.
1576
01:24:45,375 --> 01:24:47,750
It was really awesome
to be in the room with Chris
1577
01:24:47,833 --> 01:24:49,875
and actually put the suit on him,
1578
01:24:49,958 --> 01:24:52,833
you know, helping him with his shoes
and his jacket
1579
01:24:52,916 --> 01:24:54,791
and vest and everything
and making it perfect.
1580
01:24:54,875 --> 01:24:56,958
You know,
he's a little bit of a perfectionist, too,
1581
01:24:57,041 --> 01:25:01,166
so it was a lot of fun
to be able to get him, you know,
1582
01:25:01,250 --> 01:25:03,291
looking sharp and ready to roll.
1583
01:25:04,541 --> 01:25:07,125
[Deb] You know, when Chris was hurt
and we were at the hospital
1584
01:25:07,208 --> 01:25:11,666
and it hit me, you know,
is he going to get married?
1585
01:25:11,750 --> 01:25:15,250
Is he going to find someone?
I mean, what's his life gonna look like?
1586
01:25:15,333 --> 01:25:16,958
'Cause we just didn't know then.
1587
01:25:17,041 --> 01:25:19,250
And I wish I could have seen this day,
1588
01:25:19,333 --> 01:25:22,708
because that would have given me
so much comfort and so much…
1589
01:25:22,916 --> 01:25:23,833
[sighs in relief]
1590
01:25:23,916 --> 01:25:26,916
It's going to be okay,
but I didn't know at the time,
1591
01:25:27,000 --> 01:25:30,541
so you have to have faith
and, you know, we just hoped
1592
01:25:30,625 --> 01:25:33,958
and we prayed for that
and here we are, it's wonderful.
1593
01:25:35,375 --> 01:25:37,708
[Whittley] Emily and Chris's wedding day
1594
01:25:37,791 --> 01:25:40,750
was supposed to be
their most special day,
1595
01:25:41,625 --> 01:25:45,166
but I feel like it was
the most special day of my life.
1596
01:25:46,083 --> 01:25:49,333
Seeing them have true love
made me feel hope
1597
01:25:49,416 --> 01:25:51,541
that I would be
able to find love someday.
1598
01:25:52,791 --> 01:25:55,166
I think something I've been
really thinking a lot about,
1599
01:25:55,250 --> 01:25:58,583
knowing that no matter
what we go through in life,
1600
01:25:58,666 --> 01:26:00,625
we are gonna get through it together.
1601
01:26:00,708 --> 01:26:04,208
So for me to know that,
I have so much peace.
1602
01:26:08,166 --> 01:26:11,625
Hello, how are you?
1603
01:26:12,041 --> 01:26:13,666
What do you think, sweetheart?
1604
01:26:13,750 --> 01:26:17,041
[Chris] I really consider her to be
the real life Wonder Woman.
1605
01:26:17,125 --> 01:26:19,208
She can just do it all.
1606
01:26:19,291 --> 01:26:24,666
She brings so much hope and love to me
and to everyone she encounters.
1607
01:26:24,750 --> 01:26:26,666
And it's just to know that I'm marrying
1608
01:26:26,750 --> 01:26:28,750
that kind of special person
1609
01:26:28,833 --> 01:26:33,541
and that together,
that we're gonna be a great team
1610
01:26:33,625 --> 01:26:35,458
and that no matter
what happens in life,
1611
01:26:35,541 --> 01:26:38,500
we're stronger together
and we'll always be together.
1612
01:26:40,000 --> 01:26:42,916
Give him a goal, he's gonna crush it.
Seven yards, nothing.
1613
01:26:43,000 --> 01:26:44,833
You know, that's just his mentality.
1614
01:26:45,916 --> 01:26:48,416
[gentle music]
1615
01:27:26,083 --> 01:27:27,958
[Chris] I think what got me the most
1616
01:27:28,041 --> 01:27:31,875
when seeing Emily
come down the aisle towards me,
1617
01:27:32,000 --> 01:27:36,000
that I'm the lucky guy
that gets to marry her.
1618
01:27:36,166 --> 01:27:39,666
She's committing herself
to me and myself to her.
1619
01:27:39,750 --> 01:27:41,750
It was just, it was overwhelming
1620
01:27:41,833 --> 01:27:44,458
to think this is actually happening.
1621
01:27:49,375 --> 01:27:54,750
[sweeping orchestral music plays]
1622
01:28:11,750 --> 01:28:13,958
Based on the vows
you have shared before God
1623
01:28:14,041 --> 01:28:16,708
and these witnesses,
by the authority committed to me
1624
01:28:16,791 --> 01:28:19,375
as a representative
of Jesus Christ and his church,
1625
01:28:19,458 --> 01:28:21,333
I now pronounce you husband and wife.
1626
01:28:21,458 --> 01:28:23,333
Chris, you may kiss your bride.
1627
01:28:23,416 --> 01:28:27,416
[cheering]
1628
01:28:40,875 --> 01:28:43,833
[Chris] Over the course of our lives,
one way or another,
1629
01:28:43,916 --> 01:28:45,958
we all get hit and knocked down.
1630
01:28:47,125 --> 01:28:50,416
What I discovered is that
we all have the ability
1631
01:28:50,958 --> 01:28:53,541
to stand back up and to stand back up
1632
01:28:53,625 --> 01:28:55,416
stronger than ever before.
1633
01:29:00,166 --> 01:29:01,750
My spinal cord injury
1634
01:29:02,250 --> 01:29:06,000
didn't completely ruin my life
as I imagined it would.
1635
01:29:06,125 --> 01:29:09,500
[dramatic music]
1636
01:29:14,416 --> 01:29:19,166
In fact, I found a life and a purpose
that's worth living for.
1637
01:29:23,875 --> 01:29:26,500
I'd like to challenge
each and every one of you
1638
01:29:27,666 --> 01:29:31,375
to stand up to the obstacles
and challenges you're facing.
1639
01:29:35,458 --> 01:29:38,750
To take it one step at a time.
1640
01:29:41,875 --> 01:29:43,541
When I hear people say
1641
01:29:43,625 --> 01:29:47,500
they can't,
what they really mean is they won't.
1642
01:29:49,666 --> 01:29:52,916
You know, what I've learned
the last seven years
1643
01:29:53,000 --> 01:29:56,166
are applicable to each
and every one of you.
1644
01:29:57,375 --> 01:29:59,666
Anything is possible.
1645
01:30:04,541 --> 01:30:07,041
[gentle music]
1646
01:30:26,625 --> 01:30:29,791
What do you want for Christmas,
the biggest thing that you said?
1647
01:30:30,416 --> 01:30:32,875
-To be adopted.
-What would that mean to you?
1648
01:30:33,583 --> 01:30:36,583
It would mean that
I actually belong to someone.
1649
01:30:36,666 --> 01:30:39,291
Guess what's on
December 11, 2018?
1650
01:30:40,125 --> 01:30:42,625
-What?
-We're gonna adopt you.
1651
01:30:42,750 --> 01:30:45,083
We already have court scheduled.
1652
01:30:45,166 --> 01:30:46,708
We got it all planned.
1653
01:30:46,833 --> 01:30:48,541
I'm going to cry.
1654
01:30:48,625 --> 01:30:52,000
♪ There's a road ahead
And I'll walk down it ♪
1655
01:30:52,083 --> 01:30:55,083
-I love you guys.
-We love you.
1656
01:30:55,166 --> 01:30:58,583
♪ I've got so many places to go ♪
1657
01:30:58,666 --> 01:31:02,125
You guys think right now,
we're here to share a story,
1658
01:31:02,208 --> 01:31:04,250
but it's actually
much more than that.
1659
01:31:04,500 --> 01:31:08,083
In only eight days, we are adopting you.
1660
01:31:08,166 --> 01:31:12,708
You will be our daughters,
we will be your mom and dad forever.
1661
01:31:15,583 --> 01:31:20,791
♪ You're a miracle
I need and forever family ♪
1662
01:31:26,708 --> 01:31:30,041
♪ Now I know
What is in front of me ♪
1663
01:31:30,125 --> 01:31:33,125
♪ So I'll step into my destiny ♪
1664
01:31:33,250 --> 01:31:34,875
♪ And when I'm losing sight ♪
1665
01:31:34,958 --> 01:31:38,083
♪ I know that you're my way back home ♪
1666
01:31:38,166 --> 01:31:40,166
[yelling]
1667
01:31:40,416 --> 01:31:41,666
[Chris] Go, go, go.
1668
01:31:41,750 --> 01:31:45,375
♪ I couldn't only know ♪
1669
01:31:45,458 --> 01:31:48,833
♪ You gotta put one foot
In front of the other ♪
1670
01:31:48,916 --> 01:31:52,208
♪ I got two hands
We can carry each other ♪
1671
01:31:52,333 --> 01:31:57,291
♪ Ooh, you're the miracle I need ♪
1672
01:31:57,375 --> 01:32:00,416
♪ My forever family ♪
1673
01:32:00,833 --> 01:32:06,500
♪ Better than I was or I'll ever be ♪
1674
01:32:06,916 --> 01:32:10,166
♪ Better you and me ♪
1675
01:32:10,250 --> 01:32:12,458
♪ I love our family ♪
1676
01:32:12,541 --> 01:32:15,875
Daddy, the first thing
when you get your license,
1677
01:32:15,958 --> 01:32:18,541
you're gonna drive us
to get us ice cream.
1678
01:32:18,625 --> 01:32:19,916
That's right.
1679
01:32:20,291 --> 01:32:21,541
Hey, girls.
1680
01:32:21,625 --> 01:32:22,666
[girl] What?
1681
01:32:22,833 --> 01:32:24,166
Guess what we're doing?
1682
01:32:24,375 --> 01:32:25,208
[girl] What?
1683
01:32:25,291 --> 01:32:27,291
We're going to Disney World.
1684
01:32:27,375 --> 01:32:30,166
[girls screaming]
1685
01:32:32,708 --> 01:32:36,625
♪ You're the miracle I need ♪
1686
01:32:36,708 --> 01:32:40,125
♪ You gotta put one foot
In front of the other ♪
1687
01:32:40,208 --> 01:32:43,333
♪ I got two hands
We can carry each other ♪
1688
01:32:43,416 --> 01:32:48,041
♪ Ooh, you're the miracle I need ♪
1689
01:32:48,416 --> 01:32:51,125
♪ My forever family ♪
1690
01:32:53,541 --> 01:32:58,916
We love, all of us,
all of us, we are the Norton family.
1691
01:32:59,041 --> 01:33:01,833
[people clapping]
1692
01:33:10,000 --> 01:33:11,208
I gotta go run some errands,
1693
01:33:11,291 --> 01:33:14,541
Emily's got me running to Target,
so peace out.
1694
01:33:15,416 --> 01:33:16,875
Talk to you guys later.
1695
01:33:17,250 --> 01:33:18,208
It's been real.
141007
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