Pittsburgh Student Receives Loud Applause Walking At Graduation After Being Paralyzed 3 Years Ago

Jun 10, 2021 by apost team

An astonishing moment that shows the strength of a young man from New Castle, Pennsylvania, has recently been going viral across the internet and has been a source of inspiration for many people. A video of the high school graduate has been capturing hearts all over the world as he did something that most people thought was impossible. The video showed the beautiful moment when the young man walked at his own graduation several years after he was paralyzed from the neck down by a football injury.

Hayden Hamilton played for the Laurel High School football team before he was left with a serious and life-changing injury. The injury occurred while he was trying to make a tackle for the Laurel Spartans during a football game. Despite this, he stayed optimistic and committed to his physical therapy to help his body heal properly. With a lot of hard work, determination and support from loved ones, Hamilton has definitely come a long way since he was first injured in 2018.

Many people, including news outlets and local celebrities, were amazed at the young man’s perseverance, and his feat has been seen by many people all around the world thanks in part to these news outlets. Hamilton is a true beacon of hope and inspiration to many as he managed to do something that most people thought wouldn’t be able to happen. The strong-willed student walked at his own high school graduation on June 4, 2021, despite being paralyzed just three years earlier on the same field he walked across to collect his diploma.

KDKA reported that Hamilton suffered his life-altering injury in 2018 when he was attempting to make a tackle during a high school football game. The injury left him paralyzed from the neck down and required Hamilton to partake in physical therapy to help him regain his strength.

After years of hard work and dedication, Hamilton’s strong efforts paid off and he was able to walk across the football field to receive his diploma and his graduation at Laurel High School in New Castle, Pennsylvania, on June 4, 2021. KDKA reported that his therapist walked alongside him and Hamilton also used his leg braces to help make the action a bit easier for himself.

Hamilton’s act of courage and bravery received a standing ovation from the crowd at the high school graduation ceremony. Former Pittsburgh Steelers player Ryan Shazier, whose own football career was cut short due to a spinal injury, was in attendance and cheered happily for Hamilton and his personal accomplishments. Even Mark Wahlberg congratulated Hamilton on his recovery.

Hamilton’s personal moment of triumph has been shared with the world thanks to multiple news outlets, including CBS Pittsburgh, who shared a video of the heartwarming moment on their newscast on June 7, 2021.

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette sports writer Mike White documented the entire experience and uploaded a clip to Twitter showing Hamilton walking to receive his diploma. “Go ahead and try to keep a dry eye through this,” White wrote in his Twitter post. “Tonight HE WALKED!!!!” Hamilton himself was even moved by his own actions. “That felt better than any touchdown I ever scored,” he told White. The young man explained that he chose the football field as the location to receive his diploma because he was unable to walk across the field the night he was injured.

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