In the Loop: Chris Norton - husband, father, author

By
Laurel Kelly

In the Loop: Chris Norton — husband, father, author

July 16, 2019

In the Loop patient Chris Norton and his wife Emily at their wedding, on the cover of their book 'The Seven Longest Yards'

When Chris Norton was a freshman at Luther College, an accident on the football field left him with a spinal cord injury and a crushing prognosis. Doctors at Mayo Clinic told Chris he had less than a 3 percent chance of regaining movement below his neck. "I was devastated," he tells KAAL-TV. "I thought there was nothing I could do that would bring joy and happiness to my life."

If you, like us, have followed Chris' story, you know that's not how it ends. Five years after his accident, Chris graduated from college and walked across the stage to accept his diploma. Last year, he completed another inspiring walk — this one down the aisle and into his new life as a husband. Chris no longer sees that moment on the football field as anything less than destiny. "Life had a better plan for me than the plan I had for myself," Chris says. "If I could go back and change that play I wouldn't do it. It gave my pain a purpose."

Read the rest of the story.

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This story originally appeared on the In the Loop blog.

Tags: Chris Norton, Chris Norton Foundation Wheelchair Camp, Featured News, Health & Wellness, In The Loop, Mayo Clinic Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation Program, Neurosciences, The Seven Longest Yards

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