Feb. 17, 2009
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Eight and a half years ago, Adam Taliaferro was like any other 18-year old. A high school football standout, Taliaferro had a promising future for his collegiate football career and great potential to make it big in the NFL. He always dreamed of playing in the pros and worked very hard at achieving that goal. Aside from his natural talent on the field, he was also a bright student at Penn State University, taking full advantage of the opportunities presented to him there. Taliaferro was the kind of person whose personality could light up a room all on its own. He could always be seen with a smile on his face. He had the support of family and friends from back home in Vorhees, N.J., who watched their hometown star make a name for himself in a new place, a new atmosphere, a new time in his life. Everything seemed to be falling into place for this young, talented teen when within seconds, Taliaferro's entire life was changed forever.
On September 23, 2000, Taliaferro entered his fifth game as a true freshman, a rarity for most young players in Joe Paterno's coaching era. Ohio State had a 3rd and 6 with less than two minutes to go in the game. Taliaferro watched the 231-pound tailback run towards his comparably smaller body and bent to make a routine tackle. He had made this same tackle time and time again, but this time it was different. On contact, Taliaferro lost control of his body and rolled awkwardly over his neck; unable to move any other way. He was helpless. Fear set in quickly as the sensation in his arms and legs, hands and feet were completely gone. Emergency medics and personnel rushed to the field and quickly came to the realization that the injury was more serious than they feared. Taliaferro had burst his fifth cervical vertebra and bruised his spinal cord. Taliaferro was paralyzed.
After 45 antagonizing minutes on the field, Taliaferro's motionless body was taken off the field on a stretcher and rushed to the Ohio State University Hospital in Columbus. "You know how it feels when your hand goes to sleep or your leg?" Taliaferro described, "That's what I felt laying there. I remember not being able to feel anything, except it felt like my whole body fell asleep. I didn't know what was going on..."
Dr. Wayne Sebastianelli, Penn State's Director of Athletic Medicine, witnessed the injury first-hand and remembered the concern he felt when Taliaferro collapsed to the ground. "It was hard to sleep for awhile after the injury. It was very, very gut wrenching. The one thing that will never leave my brain is the look in his eye when I came out onto the field and he said, `I can't move. I can't get up.' That's something that will never leave me."
Taliaferro's fate lay in a single risky surgery: would he be paralyzed forever or have a chance at a full recovery? Whether it was just good luck or simply being in the right hands at the right time, the doctors in Ohio performed a flawless spinal fusion surgery the day after the game opening up a small window of possibility for Taliaferro.
While success in the operating room was a positive first step, but recovery still did not look as promising as everyone hoped. Three different doctors told Taliaferro's parents, Addie and Andre, that Adam had a less than 10% chance of ever walking again. The news was devastating for everyone, but Adam had told his mother, "Mom, I'm not going out like this," and little by little, the nation watched a young man defeat the odds.
A few weeks later, optimistic and determined to walk again, Taliaferro was transferred nearer to his home to Magee Rehabilitation Hospital in Philadelphia. It wasn't going to be easy and the rehab would be intense, but he knew the worst was over and he could only progress from there. He simply never let the idea of not walking again get in the way. "My parents were really adamant, so the thought never really crossed mind," he said. "My mother was there when I woke up and with me all day and then my father would come and he would stay with me until I was asleep." His little brother was always there, too, and his support system extended far beyond his immediate family.
Penn State's Director of Athletics, Tim Curley, has continued to grow very close to Taliaferro since the injury and was awed and inspired by the immense support he received during his recovery. "It was a very special to see the Penn State family, the Penn State community, and really all of college football and sports fans everywhere, give that amount of support and feedback. The love that they sent his way was extraordinary and it's something I'll never forget. The Penn State family came together and I think it really helped Adam and his family get through this very difficult time in their lives. It all made me Penn State proud."
He was flooded with mail from family, friends, people in the Penn State community and complete strangers all lending their support and wishing him the best in his recovery. Coach Joe Paterno and his wife Sue visited Taliaferro every other week, while other coaches and staff tried to visit every week, often bringing along teammates and friends to see him improve with each day. "Penn State was like my extended family," Taliaferro recalled, "I wouldn't have had that support anywhere else." Even with his demanding rehab schedule, Taliaferro always took the time to thank everyone for their support and even spoke with other people who were going through the same injury. He had become an inspiration to countless and was grateful that his own determination could affect so many others.
The rehab itself was grueling. Taliaferro had three two-hour sessions five days a week, beginning with small movements and gradually turning into small footsteps. The things most people take for granted such as making a fist or holding a pen were the types of movements that Taliaferro had to relearn. It was a slow process but the time it took was never a factor. Taliaferro remained a football player at heart and applied to his recovery some of the same skills that made him a gridiron success. He knew he had to push himself and work each day to get to where he wanted. The physical part was not the issue in his mind; it was the mental challenge of such a strenuous rehab that was unfamiliar to him. Luckily, his support system was all he needed to get into the right frame of mind and he kept a very hopeful, but seemingly possible goal in the distance: walking his Penn State Nittany Lion team out for their season opener the following September.
"From the first time he wiggled his big toe to the time he started to walk was only about six weeks," Dr. Sebastianelli recalled. "It was a miracle. It was awesome. It really made you feel very, very fortunate and very, very blessed that we were given an opportunity to get him back on his feet."
Three months later, Taliaferro had already accomplished the unthinkable; he left Magee on his own two feet. He proved to the same doctors that doubted he'd ever walk again that he only needed a small chance to make a full recovery. It was a miracle in the making and no one was more humbled by it all than Taliaferro. Taliaferro continued to be persistent with his rehab so that he could follow through on his next goal, and as that first game of the new season drew closer, Taliaferro felt ready to make his return to the Penn State football field.
On September 1, 2001, an excited crowd of over 100,000 fans at Beaver Stadium prepared to witness the miracle for themselves.
"Everyone in the stadium, everyone in Nittany Lion nation was rooting for him. Everybody in college football was rooting for him," Curley recalled. "We got incredible support from other schools, including Ohio State, and that night was just electric. It was a very, very special evening and it'll be one that I'm sure anybody that was there, or saw it on television, will never forget."
After a 90-second video tribute, Taliaferro shook off all the nerves, took a deep breath and walked out to see thousands of people wearing his jersey, holding posters in his honor, and chanting his name. He walked slowly out of the tunnel and waved at the crowd. He continued walking, then started skipping, and then jogged out to midfield.
"Beforehand he was very nervous, wasn't quite sure how he was going to do it," Dr. Sebastianelli reminisced about the moment. "Then once it happened, he basically broke into a little skip and a hop, and went through and we hugged each other and I said, `You did it. You're an amazing person.'"
He was swarmed with photographers, cheering friends and fans, and took in every bit of his moment in the spotlight. All his hard work finally paid off and the response was tremendous. He was the star of the night, and it is something that he will never forget. It was a night that many would never forget. Taliaferro was a walking miracle; and not just walking, but a jogging miracle. That night, his story touched hearts all over the nation.
Adam's playing career was over, but he continued working as a student-assistant coach under Joe Paterno. He went to team meetings, worked out with the squad, and traveled with them as if nothing had changed. He laughed and made jokes with the team like old times, not letting his injury affect the present. He loved football and wanted to remain a part of it, even if he would be watching from the sidelines. He was always humble and a person that his teammates looked up to, a true class act. He became an inspirational leader for his team and many others, and his presence alone was made an impact on the team, the fans, and the Penn State community alike.
Taliaferro also used his injury as motivation to focus more on his studies. That same fall, he returned as a full-time student and graduated from Penn State in 2005 with a degree in Labor Studies and Industrial Relations. He still had his eyes on the NFL, but on the corporate side of the ball instead. He continued on to earn a degree from the Rutgers University School of Law. He graduated in 2008 and began his career as an attorney in his home state of New Jersey.
"It's a whole different world," he said, "at school, it was all hypothetical [situations], and `what ifs', but now it's real lives and real situations that I'm working on." As a devoted Philadelphia Eagles fan, he still dreams of a job with their organization, but is intrigued by corporate law and may continue in that direction.
Taliaferro's influence since his injury extends far beyond his law career. In 2001, he created the Adam Taliaferro Foundation, which raises money for student-athletes that suffer spinal cord injuries like his own. The foundation has raised nearly $400,000 and continues to grow each year. The foundation also hosts an annual game called the Adam T. Classics, which is an all-star high school game in New Jersey, as well as other fundraisers throughout the year. He also works as a motivational speaker, drawing from his own experience to inspire those affected by injuries and he can often be spotted at Penn State football home games during the season. He has also had a book written in his honor called "Miracle in the Making: The Adam Taliaferro Story" and will remain a permanent part of Penn State history.
Martin Luther King Jr. once proclaimed, "The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy." Adam Taliaferro never let his spinal cord injury stop him from living his life as he wanted. No one said it would be easy, but he was not willing to give up hope even when the chance of walking seemed beyond his reach. Taliaferro has inspired thousands of lives by showing heart and courage during the hardest of times. He proved that his ability to walk again was more than just a miracle, but the result of a determined attitude that has taken him far in life.
Curley is one person who has felt the magnitude of Taliaferro's courage. He said, "The most amazing thing about the whole experience was just the incredible, positive attitude that Taliaferro and his entire family had throughout the entire process; from the moment we visited with him at Ohio State, all the way through his rehabilitation at Magee, to this day. With the tremendous positive outlook he had, he actually made you feel better when you left rather than you just trying to make him feel better. Every time I left Magee, I left inspired and to this day he is a very inspiring person to me. He faced probably the most difficult thing anyone could face and did it with such grace, humility, and style. You can face difficult times and do it in a way that makes others just stand back and say `Wow - what an incredible human being and what a special gift we have been given to know him.'"
Dr. Sebastianelli also reflected on Taliaferro's legacy, "He used to work on a stage of athletics and now he's working on a stage of humanity. He's probably touched more lives based on the way he handled his injury and his recovery and his achievements beyond football. He would have obviously touched some lives with football, but this transcends football. It goes into homes where there are kids with mental disabilities or other physical disabilities and really gives people hope that things can change with care, and with hard work, and with a little bit of good fortune."
If there was ever such a thing as a true role model, it is Taliaferro. He overcame more than many could imagine and accomplished more than many could hope to achieve. He continues to inspire a nation with his optimism and enthusiasm and hopes that people remember his as "someone who has never given up." Penn Staters and the nation alike will undoubtedly remember him for that and so much more.
Read Adam's Poem "When I Walk"