Stand Up!!

“Stand up to your obstacles

and do something about them.

You will find that they haven’t

half the strength you think they have.”

– Norman Vincent Peale

Standing Tall

Posted on17 July 2011. Tags: college football, eric legrand, ESPN, rutgers

Rutgers football player Eric LeGrand stood up today.  While most college football players are lifting, running and preparing their bodies for the rigors of the dreaded August two-a-day practices, simply standing may not seem like much unless you know how far LeGrand has come and what massive odds he has defied to stand tall, just nine months after a hit paralyzed him from the neck down.

LeGrand was given less than a 5% chance of experiencing much of what we take for granted–walking, getting out of bed and even breathing without a concentrated effort.  ESPN recently aired a story on how LeGrand has continued to defy the odds (and medical science) that were immensely stacked against him.  In that story, we were given a slight glimpse into the life of this young man.

It is easy to get caught up in the intense work and training that LeGrand is doing to regain some of what was lost last October, but even more amazing and inspiring is his will.  Throw the percentages out the window.  They don’t apply to him.  Although great strides aren’t made every day, he believes and he perseveres.

LeGrand insists that God has a plan for him, and it’s not to be in a wheel chair.  His tenacity, his belief and his determination to defy transcends far beyond sports and winning and losing.

Eric LeGrand stood up today.  He stood taller than anyone in his sport.