MPsupreme
11-11-2005, 10:32 AM
Once again, Westlake faithful become paralyzed player's biggest booster
Community trying to raise $25,000 for new insurance policy to aid San Antonio football player David Edwards.
By Rick Cantu
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Friday, November 11, 2005
BUDA — David Edwards measures progress with baby steps.
Nearly two years have passed since the former San Antonio Madison High School football player was paralyzed during a playoff game against Westlake. With his mother, Faye Stanton, casting a constant shadow on her oldest son, Edwards knows he may never walk again.
Walking, though, is not Edwards' immediate goal.
Today he feels sensations in his hands and feet, something he didn't have after that playoff game Nov. 15, 2003, when he collided with a Westlake wide receiver to break up a pass at Chaparral Stadium. For Edwards, feeling sensations is considered progress.
Edwards breathes easily and swallows food just fine. His chest has cleared enough to allow him to whistle.
Again, progress.
"This is my life," the 18-year-old Madison graduate said during halftime at the Westlake-Hays football game Nov. 4. "As long as I wake up every day with a smile on my face, I'm happy."
Meanwhile, the family continues to be embraced by generosity from people in Austin and San Antonio. Last year, KB Home built a house for Edwards specifically designed to make life easier for him. The home has tile floors, wide doorways and hallways, a big-screen television, a customized work space in the kitchen and a voice recognition system that allows Edwards to turn on his television and computer without assistance.
In Austin, Marci Aune, a Westlake mother who helped the school's football booster club raise about $100,000 to help purchase two specialized wheelchairs and a wheelchair-accessible van two years ago, has spearheaded a drive to raise $25,000 to cover the deductible for new insurance coverage to help Edwards.
Previously, Edwards had been covered by the insurance policy of his stepfather, Cedric Stanton. The policy had a lifetime limit of $1 million, which has been depleted by medical bills and Edwards' continuing rehabilitation.
The new insurance policy, provided by the Northeast Independent School District in San Antonio, would cover up to $5 million, said Austin lawyer Guy Hohmann, who has assisted Edwards' family.
Edwards, Hohmann said, is eligible for the school district's "catastrophic loss" insurance because he was at a school event at the time of his injury.
About 90 people from the Westlake community have given $15,000 in the past two weeks, Aune said. One parent of a Westlake football player, who donated $2,500, has challenged other parents of athletes to contribute to the insurance fund.
"That could have been any parent's child on the field that day," said the donor, who asked to remain anonymous.
Faye Stanton has watched Edwards go through physical changes the past two years, saying her son is looking progressively better. His neck, for example, is wider than it was last year, which allows him to speak more clearly. He can now cough without assistance.
A 6-foot, 165-pound defensive back during his junior football season at Madison, Edwards dropped to 101 pounds after the collision that snapped the fourth vertebrae of his spine. Not only did he lose weight rapidly, but he also battled pneumonia, kidney stones and a collapsed lung during his first year of treatment.
Edwards, who goes to physical therapy five days a week, including one day at St. David's Hospital in Austin, is steadily regaining his strength. He weighed 140 pounds after his last visit and has grown from 6 feet to 6-2 in the past two years.
A week ago, Edwards and his family sat in a handicapped-accessible section at Bob Shelton Stadium, right on the 50-yard line. They were invited to the Westlake-Hays game by Aune. Her son, Coy, a sophomore walk-on receiver at the University of Texas, was the Westlake player who collided with Edwards during the 2003 playoff game.
Dressed in a gray sweat suit, an upbeat and smiling Edwards spent much of the game greeting Chaparral boosters and friends.
Two years have not healed the body. But it has given Edwards time to come to grips with his situation.
"He's at peace with the injury now," Stanton said. "He's gone from a bout with depression to having a really good and positive attitude. Time has made him accept what has happened.
"He knows there is a lot of research going on and, sooner or later, they'll come out with something that will help him," she said.
Marci Aune tells a poignant story about the dramatic finish of last week's game, which Westlake won 31-30 in the final minute of the game.
Edwards, rooting for Westlake, was thrilled by the come-from-behind victory. Five minutes after the game, he met with Westlake head football coach Derek Long on the field to congratulate the winning Chaparrals. Long, who was in his first year as Westlake's head coach at the time of Edwards' injury, had spent two days at Brackenridge Hospital with Edwards' family while the injured football player was in intensive care.
Last week's meeting between Long and Edwards symbolized the Westlake-Madison bond that has developed over two years.
"You know," Edwards said, smiling, "I thought I was going to get up and run onto that field with the guys."
How to help
People who want to contribute to the fund for a new insurance policy for David Edwards can contact Marci Aune at 347-8082 or marciaune@hotmail.com.
Community trying to raise $25,000 for new insurance policy to aid San Antonio football player David Edwards.
By Rick Cantu
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Friday, November 11, 2005
BUDA — David Edwards measures progress with baby steps.
Nearly two years have passed since the former San Antonio Madison High School football player was paralyzed during a playoff game against Westlake. With his mother, Faye Stanton, casting a constant shadow on her oldest son, Edwards knows he may never walk again.
Walking, though, is not Edwards' immediate goal.
Today he feels sensations in his hands and feet, something he didn't have after that playoff game Nov. 15, 2003, when he collided with a Westlake wide receiver to break up a pass at Chaparral Stadium. For Edwards, feeling sensations is considered progress.
Edwards breathes easily and swallows food just fine. His chest has cleared enough to allow him to whistle.
Again, progress.
"This is my life," the 18-year-old Madison graduate said during halftime at the Westlake-Hays football game Nov. 4. "As long as I wake up every day with a smile on my face, I'm happy."
Meanwhile, the family continues to be embraced by generosity from people in Austin and San Antonio. Last year, KB Home built a house for Edwards specifically designed to make life easier for him. The home has tile floors, wide doorways and hallways, a big-screen television, a customized work space in the kitchen and a voice recognition system that allows Edwards to turn on his television and computer without assistance.
In Austin, Marci Aune, a Westlake mother who helped the school's football booster club raise about $100,000 to help purchase two specialized wheelchairs and a wheelchair-accessible van two years ago, has spearheaded a drive to raise $25,000 to cover the deductible for new insurance coverage to help Edwards.
Previously, Edwards had been covered by the insurance policy of his stepfather, Cedric Stanton. The policy had a lifetime limit of $1 million, which has been depleted by medical bills and Edwards' continuing rehabilitation.
The new insurance policy, provided by the Northeast Independent School District in San Antonio, would cover up to $5 million, said Austin lawyer Guy Hohmann, who has assisted Edwards' family.
Edwards, Hohmann said, is eligible for the school district's "catastrophic loss" insurance because he was at a school event at the time of his injury.
About 90 people from the Westlake community have given $15,000 in the past two weeks, Aune said. One parent of a Westlake football player, who donated $2,500, has challenged other parents of athletes to contribute to the insurance fund.
"That could have been any parent's child on the field that day," said the donor, who asked to remain anonymous.
Faye Stanton has watched Edwards go through physical changes the past two years, saying her son is looking progressively better. His neck, for example, is wider than it was last year, which allows him to speak more clearly. He can now cough without assistance.
A 6-foot, 165-pound defensive back during his junior football season at Madison, Edwards dropped to 101 pounds after the collision that snapped the fourth vertebrae of his spine. Not only did he lose weight rapidly, but he also battled pneumonia, kidney stones and a collapsed lung during his first year of treatment.
Edwards, who goes to physical therapy five days a week, including one day at St. David's Hospital in Austin, is steadily regaining his strength. He weighed 140 pounds after his last visit and has grown from 6 feet to 6-2 in the past two years.
A week ago, Edwards and his family sat in a handicapped-accessible section at Bob Shelton Stadium, right on the 50-yard line. They were invited to the Westlake-Hays game by Aune. Her son, Coy, a sophomore walk-on receiver at the University of Texas, was the Westlake player who collided with Edwards during the 2003 playoff game.
Dressed in a gray sweat suit, an upbeat and smiling Edwards spent much of the game greeting Chaparral boosters and friends.
Two years have not healed the body. But it has given Edwards time to come to grips with his situation.
"He's at peace with the injury now," Stanton said. "He's gone from a bout with depression to having a really good and positive attitude. Time has made him accept what has happened.
"He knows there is a lot of research going on and, sooner or later, they'll come out with something that will help him," she said.
Marci Aune tells a poignant story about the dramatic finish of last week's game, which Westlake won 31-30 in the final minute of the game.
Edwards, rooting for Westlake, was thrilled by the come-from-behind victory. Five minutes after the game, he met with Westlake head football coach Derek Long on the field to congratulate the winning Chaparrals. Long, who was in his first year as Westlake's head coach at the time of Edwards' injury, had spent two days at Brackenridge Hospital with Edwards' family while the injured football player was in intensive care.
Last week's meeting between Long and Edwards symbolized the Westlake-Madison bond that has developed over two years.
"You know," Edwards said, smiling, "I thought I was going to get up and run onto that field with the guys."
How to help
People who want to contribute to the fund for a new insurance policy for David Edwards can contact Marci Aune at 347-8082 or marciaune@hotmail.com.