Monday – 10/17/2016

“For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed in us.” – Romans 8:18

This past Saturday evening while watching the Ohio State football game with some friends and family, a ticker scrolled across the bottom of the screen. The terse update was only six words.

Dennis Byrd killed in car crash.

No one else in the room noticed it at the time. But 24 hours later, those same six words still weigh heavy on my mind.

Dennis Byrd and his 12-year-old son were driving in Byrd’s Hummer H2 on Saturday morning, when it was struck head-on by a Ford Explorer, driven by a 17-year-old youth. The 17-year-old driver and Byrd’s son, both in critical condition, were transported to a Tulsa hospital.

Dennis Byrd, 50, was pronounced dead at the scene due to massive injuries.

Longtime readers of this blog will know how powerful of an influence Dennis Byrd has had on my life, especially since my injury. The Romans 8:18 Scripture verse that has become my rallying cry and adorns the stickers, T-shirts and other merchandise sold to support my therapy expenses, was introduced to me by Dennis Byrd.

In fact, you’ll even notice an “8:18” menu header at the top of this page. The number 818 has come to symbolize so much to me, that for some time I’ve been considering getting it tattooed in Roman numerals across the scar on the back of my neck.

In 1992 Dennis Byrd broke his neck during an NFL game. At the age of 16, while lying on my bedroom floor, I read about his story in Sports Illustrated. He described how after waking up in the hospital the Romans Scripture verse hung on a poster board above his bed. It was the first and last thing he would see each day. It reminded him that God was in control.

I was so moved by his story and belief that I typed the verse onto a piece of paper and tucked it in my wallet. For the next 17 years of my life, I would pull it out and refer to it on a weekly basis.

When I woke up in the hospital after breaking my neck, that same verse had been inscribed on a poster and now hung above my bed. To this day, it still hangs in my room.

Throughout my hospital stay, my dad would sit at my bedside and read me motivational books. The first book we read was “Rise and Walk: The Trial and Triumph of Dennis Byrd,” which was written by Byrd.

I will always be amazed by the strength, courage and faith that Dennis exhibited after breaking his neck. He will forever remain a true inspiration to me.

In closing, I’ll leave you with a quote from the last interview I read that Dennis gave:

“A man has a body, a mind and a spirit. There are times in a man’s life when his body will tell him it can’t continue on. There are times in a man’s life when his mind will tell him that the task set for him is too hard to accomplish. Those two don’t matter. It’s a man’s will and his spirit, and in those moments and in those times that will tell him, ‘You can do it,’ and it will make the mind and body follow along.”

RIP Dennis.

Stand Strong!

Scott