KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Ju'Lius Byers kicked off his dream of becoming a professional football player earlier this year with the Liberty High School freshman team.
"Fourteen years old in eighth grade and already knows what he wants to do with his life ... go to school and play ball, graduate and get a degree; that's just what Ju'Lius was about," said William Byers, the teen's father.
But on Sept. 3, during his very first high school game, things took a devastating turn. Ju'Lius' dream turned into a nightmare when he suffered a spinal injury that left him partially paralyzed.
"It is frustrating," William said. "There's things that you think about that you never thought would happen."
The injury required two emergency surgeries, but Ju'Lius is now on the road to recovery.
However, his dream of playing football at Missouri Western State University is on hold.
"I think we all get knocked down at some point on some level," said Tyler Fenwick, Missouri Western State University head football coach. "Whether it's in football and you get knocked down, whether it's in life. I think that's something as a coach we try to pass along to our players."
Fenwick and Missouri Western's president surprised Ju'Lius on Wednesday during his therapy session, presenting him with a jersey and an opportunity to be the honorary team captain at an upcoming game.
"Whatever happens, you got to get back up, you got to stand up and move the next foot forward," Fenwick said.
Football taught Ju'Lius about the next-play mentality, and now he dreams of a career in the NFL.
"This is a very hard situation for people to go through," Ju'Lius said. "I don't want other people to give up, I want them to keep fighting so they can get better and they can have their life back."
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