A teen from Georgia is turning his tragedy into triumph and is living proof that with hard work and perseverance it’s possible to beat the o...
A teen from Georgia is turning his tragedy into triumph and is living proof that with hard work and perseverance it’s possible to beat the odds. According to Inside Edition Tre Lawson—a track star who was paralyzed after a car accident—is aiming to get back to running.
At one point Lawson, who attended Westside High School, was one of the top track athletes in the country, but things took a tragic turn in 2017. After winning a track meet, he got into a car with a group of friends and the driver fell asleep at the wheel. The vehicle went off the road and crashed. Lawson suffered serious injuries including damage done to his head, abdomen, and spinal cord. He woke up in the hospital nearly a month after the accident occurred.
“It was a huge depressing moment. I thought maybe this is the last time I’ll be able to run again, my career is over. I was wondering if the coaches would still be interested in me even if I recover in due time,” he told the news outlet. “Looking at the four walls of the hospital room, you become depressed really quickly.” Although it took a while for Lawson to come to terms with what had happened, he ultimately decided he wouldn’t let his circumstances defeat him. He was motivated to get back on the track. He went through a rigorous rehabilitation program at the Shepherd Center based in Atlanta. Day after day Lawson went hard with his strength training so that he wouldn’t have to be confined to a wheelchair.
He recently got back on the track at his high school with a walker and was able to walk 200 meters in 30 minutes. He says that the accident has inspired him to focus on the positive aspects of life. “Every day isn’t a sunny day. You have to have rain in order to have a rainbow some days.”
Lawson has launched his own nonprofit organization for patients at the Shepherd Center.
SEE ALSO:
T.I. Teams Up With Georgia Church To Bail Out Nonviolent Offenders For Easter
8-Year-Old Helps Siblings Overcome Sickle Cell Disease
[ione_media_gallery id="3850892" overlay="true"]* This article was originally published here
