Sidelined

Football stories and traditions are a big draw to fans and athletes alike. Tales of Rose Bowl triumphs and Super Bowl defeats routinely unfold. Heroes score legendary touchdowns, and kickers miss pivotal field goals wide to the right.

And then, there is North Lake student Nathaniel (Nat) Little, who has a story of his own. The 18-year-old freshman grew up enjoying music and sports in Carrollton. Nat was a helpful son to his mom, and a good brother to his siblings, Brittney and Ingrid. His social and athletic life was blossoming at R.L. Turner High School in the spring of 2004.

Nat was a recognizable member of the Turner student body. He was named the honorary R.L. Turner mentor of the year for his encouragement to the entire student body. His peers named him Mr. Turner High School, and voted his personality "best in the class."

During the fall, Nat's attention turned to football season, where he was determined to win a position as the team's starting middle linebacker. His aspirations of a college career appeared promising until an awkward tackle changed his life.

Nat sprung from his crouched position during a spring scrimmage game and sprinted towards the ball carrier like he had done a hundred times before.

"I went after the fullback, and when I tackled him, my head went straight into the ground," Nat said. "The first thing I remember is a lot of pain and hearing a buzzing sound."

Nat's C5 vertebrae was cracked, and he was paralyzed from the neck down. Several weeks spent in the hospital recovering from injury tested his resolve.

Continuing high school became more of an obstacle than Nat expected, but he graduated with his class on schedule. After graduation, he began planning what path he would follow. Football was no longer an option, so he enrolled at North Lake to complete his basic courses. This spring is his second semester.

He is studying to become a broadcaster, and would like to cover football and boxing for some type of media outlet. Chris Ruiz, a close friend and fellow North Lake student, drives them both to school for Tuesday and Thursday classes. "Nat is just looking for a girl right now; everything else is good," Ruiz said.

Nat is focused on his life as a student, but he is also setting his sights on what some said his physical limitations would be.

"The doctor's job at first is to be negative [about spinal cord injuries]so that you don't expect too much, too fast," Little said.

Three days a week, he works from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on physical tasks, and his rehabilitation has produced promising results. Nat has gained some feeling in his arms and shoulders, and can even shake people's hands.

The Disability Services Center, located in room A-413, is designed to provide disabled students with campus tours, elevator access, and scribes to take notes in class or help study for tests. Nat verbally does math problems and has an aide write them out for him. Shelley Foster is a senior rehabilitation specialist for North Lake, and says for the most part, disabled students are very self-suffi cient.

"I think most of our students do very well without much help from us at all," Foster said. "Nat is one who we don't see very much because he does just fi ne."

And that's remarkable considering that some don't rebound very well from life-changing experiences. But Nat didn't choose to follow the stories of others. He just made one of his own.