Eric LeGrand leans on faith in message to Catholic students (Photos)
Over 400 Archdiocese of Newark Catholic school students and their families cheered and waved Rutgers towels emblazoned with Eric LeGrand’s number 52 at an event at Seton Hall held Thursday, Oct. 26. The night with LeGrand was planned by the Scholarship Fund for Inner-City Children (SFIC), which provides students in need with the opportunity for a quality, values-based education in a safe environment. The evening’s goal was to inspire students with LeGrand’s message of perseverance.
SFIC CEO Dr. Michelle Hartman said she hopes the students came away from the evening “realizing that anything is possible, even in the most difficult of circumstances.”
“Eric LeGrand exemplifies that,” Dr. Hartman said. “We want our students to know that they can do anything if they put their mind to it.”
SFIC is a non-profit organization that awards partial tuition assistance to economically disadvantaged students who attend Catholic school within the Archdiocese of Newark’s four counties (Bergen, Essex, Hudson, and Union). Tuition assistance is based on need without regard to gender, race, religion, or ethnic background. Just this year, the organization donated $3.5 million to help 2,000 archdiocesan Catholic school students, and since its inception in 1983, SFIC has raised over $54 million to aid archdiocesan school students in need.
Prior to his uplifting speech at the event, LeGrand reflected on the 13 years since his life-changing spinal cord injury on the gridiron at MetLife Stadium and the faith that has kept him going. The former Rutgers defensive tackle views his journey as one of renewed purpose. He is a college graduate, coffee shop entrepreneur, sportscaster, author, and, more importantly, motivational speaker.
LeGrand has a five percent chance of regaining full movement after breaking his C3 and C4 vertebrae since he became paralyzed while making a tackle in an October 2010 game. Physicians said he would likely never breathe on his own. LeGrand was off a ventilator within weeks. He can eat solid food and move his shoulders. He experiences the endorphin rush from exercise when a high-tech bike contracts his muscles and moves his legs. Locomotor nerve stimulators aim to remap the connections between his spinal column and his limbs. He wears a “standing frame” to feel his 6’ 2” height again for 40-minute intervals.
Eric LeGrand is 33 years old. He will likely never hold a hamburger, brush his teeth, grab a shower, or hold a baby. A specialized bed turns him while he sleeps to prevent bed sores. But he can make eye contact, speak words of encouragement, share his thoughts, flash a smile, and point people to God.
By some accounts, LeGrand defied statistics and probabilities. He acknowledges the role both faith and science have in his mental and physical recovery.
“Faith is everything to me,” LeGrande said. “I trust God and believe that everything happens for a reason. I feel like I’m in the right time now where science is on the rise with everything. I’m exactly where I want to be. I’m healthy and I feel good. Being able to inspire others and help people changes my perspective. My goal is to make people believe they can accomplish anything. The main goal for me now is to keep my body moving. I won’t slow down.”
When he started physical therapy, LeGrand binged 1,000 sessions on a treadmill, hoisted into a harness and assisted by physical therapists. Now, he does his therapy at home, which allows him to be more consistent. A STIM pad contracts the muscles on his legs, arms, stomach, and back.
LeGrand credits his biological and Rutgers families for keeping him focused with encouragement from Scripture. The power of faith, hope, and love in (Corinthians), the belief that one can do all things through Christ, who strengthens (Philippians), and the power of prayer that Coach Greg Schiano hammered from the beginning guide him.
His Aunt Cheryl and Uncle Ariel instilled spiritual values and exposed LeGrand to the joyful sounds of gospel music on Sunday mornings in the Cathedral in Perth Amboy. “Since my accident, Aunt Cheryl has helped me understand that God had a plan for me. Believing in God’s intention for my life and calling on the growing spirit inside of me helped me tremendously throughout my recovery. Sure, it was easy to get down after being immobilized. Still, my aunt and uncle helped me look beyond my situation for the inspiration and faith I needed to propel myself forward,” LeGrand writes in his memoir, Believe – My Faith and The Tackle That Changed My Life.
Karen LeGrand instilled the values of humility and hard work in her son. When he was a teenager and a stellar athlete playing football, basketball, and baseball, LeGrand rationalized that he could afford to skip a practice. “My mom embarrassed me, said, ‘Just because you’re good, you think you can get out of practice? When you commit to something, you see it through.”
Acknowledging his privilege to have access to a team of top medical professionals, excellent health insurance, the latest equipment to assist in regaining mobility, celebrity friends, and connections his Rutgers family has afforded him, LeGrand maintains his humility.
He is determined to follow through on all his endeavors. Whether he walks again seems secondary. “I’ve had so many blessings and opportunities. We all go through adversity, and how you handle it defines you,” LeGrand added. “Not everything is going to go your way. You learn to adapt.”
Football is a tough sport, but statistically, injuries like LeGrand’s on Oct. 16, 2010, when he unintentionally drove his head into the shoulder of Army’s ball carrier Malcolm Brown during kickoff are rare, happening once every 25 years or so, he said. Yes, football can be a dangerous sport, he told a boy during a post-speech Q&A. But, he said, “Football is one of the best teachers of life. I wouldn’t be the man I am.”
LeGrand was asked if he would change anything if he could go back. “Not a lot. I have a purpose, a mission to help others. I just know that I will go back to MetLife Stadium and finish that play,” he grinned.
