JACKSONVILLE, Ark. —
A 12-year-old football player in Arkansas is thankful to have another opportunity to play the game he loves.
Back in the spring, Frederick Engram said he was playing football with his friends when he suddenly didn’t feel right. His abs were hurting, and he thought it was an asthma attack. The school nurse determined it was something much more serious.
On a trip to the hospital, Engram was found to have suffered a spinal cord stroke. It’s a rare condition where the blood supply is disrupted, damaging tissues along the spinal cord. Engram thought his right leg was paralyzed, with months to spend in a wheelchair.
However, with prayers and support, he was walking again only a month later. Engram’s mother said she expects her son to be back on the field for regular tackle football next year. Until then, he’s playing flag football until he makes a full recovery.