File this under "Minor Miracle"

Toronto Star: Buffalo Bill with spinal injury may walk
MATT HIGGINS Sep. 12, 2007
Two days after he was paralyzed during a game, and one day after doctors described his condition as potentially life-threatening, Buffalo Bills tight end Kevin Everett was moving his arms and legs yesterday.(more at The Star)

Very very fortunate for NFL player Kevin Everett. I saw a video of the hit and it looked horrible. It is miraculous he has any feeling in his arms and legs, let alone movement.

This is a good opportunity to point you towards the good folks at Canadian Spinal Research Organization could always use donations and attention.

The CSRO is dedicated to the improvement of the physical quality of life for persons with a spinal cord injury and those with related neurological deficits, through targeted medical and scientific research. The CSRO is also committed to the reduction of spinal cord injuries through awareness programs for the general public and prevention programs for targeted groups.

I spent some time working at the CSRO office when I was 20. I hadn't had a lot of life experience at that point, so it was really eye opening to spend time with para and quadriplegics. On the one hand you see how random life can be, hearing how different people ended up in their wheelchair. I learned about the different degrees of spinal cord injuries, the research being done to improve the quality of life, and the adjustments those with spinal cord injuries have to make to be able to do everyday things. I also learned about coping through humanity and humour, and that you don't have to treat someone like a delicate pieces of glass just because they're in a wheelchair. And all that 10 years before the documentary Murderball made the same points.

I confess one of my more humbling moments occurred when I was talking about blood donations with a co-worker at CSRO, and how I had never gone to one because I wasn't comfortable with needles. My co-worker then casually mention how many pints of blood he went through in his last round of surgery. I shut the hell up at that point and have since gotten over the minor discomfort of a needle. That's when I learned that whatever I perceive as a hardship is usually really minor when compared to actual genuine problems. It's formed a bit of my philosophy to this day - keep things in perespective.

Link: Canadian Blood Donor Services