71: Seven Long Yards with Chris Norton
Chris Norton lost his ability to walk after a brutal football injury. However, that didn’t stop him from walking across the stage at his college graduation, or walking down the aisle with his wife after they got married. Today he is an inspirational speaker, an author, and a foster care parent. In this episode:
- Starting in football and embracing the physicality
- How one play gone wrong in college football changed his life forever
- The immediate aftermath of being a teenager and becoming paralyzed from the neck down
- Feeling like a prisoner in his own body
- “You will beat this.” How a physician shifted Chris’ mindset and lifted him up.
- You Will over You Can
- How teammates became brothers and helped Chris through college each day
- The toughest parts of therapy
- Relying on his faith when he could no longer rely on his own abilities
- The Chris Norton Foundation – Helping cover the medial and rehab expenses of others overcoming a traumatic spinal or musculature injury
- Meeting his wife, Emily, and pursuing her with intention from the beginning
- Finding identity in who he is, not the things he does
- How walking across the stage at his college graduation was upended by walking down the aisle with his wife after they said their vows
- The most monumental 7 yards of all time
- Dealing with mental health issues in marriage
- Why Chris and Emily choose to foster care
- Adopting 5 kids
- “I don’t want my physical paralysis to paralyze my mindset”
You can visit www.chrisnorton.org, or follow @chrisanorton16 on Instagram for more information on Chris. You can also listen to the first 2 chapters of his audio book here:
