Kevin Everett featured on sports medicine program

Kevin Everett is a former Buffalo Bills tight end who in September of 2007 suffered a catastrophic cervical spine injury that not only ended his playing career, but also left him temporarily paralyzed. Bills fans are very familiar with Everett's miraculous story; thanks to a cold saline treatment method, excellent surgical care and innumerable hours of hard work and physical therapy on Everett's part, the man once paralyzed in seconds has retained his ability to walk.

I won't soon forget the moment that injury happened. Nor will I forget the night that Everett spoke to a ramped-up Bills crowd on the big screen at Ralph Wilson Stadium, nor the first time he walked back onto that field pre-game (pictured top right). Everett's story is an inspiring one, and tonight, it will be re-told and updated via a new television program called Athlete 360, which focuses on famous athletes and sports medicine.
The show is hosted by Dr. Mark Adickes, a former NFL player and Super Bowl champion who, upon retirement, went back to Harvard Medical School and is now a successful orthopedic surgeon. He is currently a team physician for the NBA's Houston Rockets, as well as the US Ski Team. He visits with Everett to talk about his entire playing career, the injury he suffered, and what he's gone through in the months and years since the event. You can catch a teaser of the episode here.

I had a chance to screen the episode last night, and thoroughly enjoyed the half-hour feature. It's so easy to forget the true impact of an event like that, and this feature brings those moments - good and bad - back into sharp focus.

Kevin looks great, folks. He's moving towards being three full years removed from the events of September 9, 2007, and he tells Dr. Adickes that he still wakes up with pain coursing through his body every morning. Resigned to living the remainder of his life without being pain-free nor retaining full use of his fine motor skills, Everett is nonetheless happy, healthy, and motivated to make something of himself.

Adickes interviews Everett about past, present and future, and also goes into detail discussing the injury itself, the treatment methods, and his future prospects. It's a fascinating feature that, for me, shed new light on Everett's prognosis.

I strongly encourage you to check this episode out, folks, if you've got a half hour of spare time over the next few days. Athlete 360 will also be featuring former NBA center Dikembe Mutombo and former NFL guard Mark Schlereth this season, and I'm going to try to catch those shows as well. I understand that the Rumblings readership is geographically dispersed, so rather than tell you where and when the show will be on, I'll simply paste the remaining viewing schedule for the entire country below. Let us know what you think if you catch this feature! And a big shout-out to Kevin, too - it's great to see him doing so well.



(buffalorumblings.com)