Adam Taliaferro - An Inspirational Football Player :: Personal Narratives

turn Taliaferro - An Inspirational Football PlayerIve kn sustain Adam Taliaferro for almost two and a half years. I knew him before his horrific injury suffered at Ohio State. I knew him throughout his pie-eyed rehabilitation routine at Magee Rehabilitation Hospital in Philadelphia. I know him today, continuing to rehabilitate and inspire countless individuals through their periodical struggles. Remarkably, throughout those two and a half years, he has remained unchanged. Obviously, there are physical differences. He is no longer able to perform the dumfounding athletic feats he was able to perform prior to our freshmen with the Penn State football team. No longer will his five foot ten inch frame be able to goal tend shots in the IM building. Physically, he is not able to deliver a crushing hit on Eric Mcoo on a blitz in one of our preseason scrimmages. However, when it comes to who we really are, our personalities, demeanor, and mannerisms, Adam Taliaferro has remained unchan ged throughout his injury. He remains the lighthearted, spontaneous, and outgoing kid from The Jers. phratry 23, 2000 remains for me, one of the days of my life I will evermore remember. As a redshirt freshman, I remained home while the team, and Adam travelled to Ohio State for an afternoon game. It was the obvious fear conveyed through a video recording set that remains engrained into my memory. Knowing Adam, my roommate and I were able to run through through his motionless the utter fear he was experiencing lying on that field. His recovery would be slow and painful. The other redshirt freshmen and I spent the stop of the season traveling to Magee Rehabilitation Center in Philadelphia during away games to chew out Adam and his family. Each week improvement was seen. From the first visit when nurses came ofttimes to change the position of his legs because he was unable to do so, to the first leaf movement he experienced, to the first leg movement, and eventually, to seeing Adam stand, he remained unchanged. He was still upbeat, constantly making fun of himself and his newfound uncoordination. He flirted with the nurses and bonded with his roommate. He was still Adam. I know there have been minacious moments for Adam throughout his rehabilitation. There must have been moments when he questioned his own ability to overcome this situation. However, he never allowed any of his friends to see these moments because to us, that wouldnt be the Adam weve come to know.