Standing Tall: The Kevin Everett Story by Sam Carchidi
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(Paperback)
- Pub. Date: February 2008
- 216pp
- Sales Rank: 175,102
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Product Details
- Pub. Date: February 2008
- Publisher: Triumph Books
- Format: Paperback, 216pp
- Sales Rank: 175,102
- ISBN-13: 9781600781414
- ISBN: 1600781411
Synopsis
In a matter of a few seconds, a strong, promising young Buffalo Bills player lay paralyzed and very mortal after a violent collision on the second-half kickoff return during the opening weekend of the 2007 NFL season. Kevin Everett, second-year tight end and special team's player, went helmet-to-helmet with Denver Broncos return man, Domenik Hixon, with all the force a 6'4", 260-pound 25-year-old can muster while running downfield full-bore. Fate was on Kevin's side. Only a few days prior, the medical-training staff had practiced a spinal-cord drill supervised by Dr. Andrew Cappuccino, an orthopedic surgeon. Dr. Cappuccino was on the sidelines during this game as a regular member of the Buffalo Bills medical staff, one of the few NFL teams to be so staffed. Cappuccino determined that Everett was quadriplegic, as he lay on the field of Ralph Wilson Stadium. And so began a real-life drill.
With controversial and aggressive medical care, Kevin began a tougher challenge than any Sunday-football warrior faces; he was in a fight for his life and faculties. Dr. Cappuccino employed a daring, debated, but not scientifically proven, hypothermic method of treating Everett's paralysis. Kevin's body temperature was lowered to 93.8 degrees to prevent further damage from neurological swelling. Yet within twelve days, during which Dr. Cappuccino risked his medical career in order to look Kevin in the eye knowing he did everything to help him, Everett was flown to Houston (his home) to begin rehab. Less than a month later he would be walking with assistance.
This remarkable and heart-warming story is not just about a doctor and his patient; it is about the love of a family and a fiance who have been at Everett's side throughout his grueling rehabilitation. It is a story of Kevin's strength of will and his determination to regain his life. There is also an unfinished story of new beginnings and coming to inner peace, as Everett contemplates his rehabilitation, future health, and life after NFL football. This amazing story of recovery begins with Kevin's appearance on the Oprah Winfrey Show, where he will tell Oprah's national audience the dramatic saga.
More Reviews and RecommendationsBiography
Sam Carchidi has been a staff writer and South Jersey sports columnist at The Philadelphia Inquirer since 1984. Carchidi co-authored Miracle in the Making: The Adam Taliaferro Story, about a Penn State player's remarkable recovery from a paralyzing spinal injury.
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Standing Tall: The Kevin Everett Storyby Anonymous
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August 14, 2008: great book, heartwarming and inspirational.
Standing Tall: The Kevin Everett Storyby Anonymous
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May 22, 2008: The book Standing Tall: The Kevin Everett Story by Sam Carchidi is a well written book about the story of Kevin Everett, who suffered a spinal cord injury during the Buffalo Bills? week one NFL football game. He made a hard tackle during the opening kickoff of the second half. He became paralyzed and was sent to a hospital immediately. This is a nonfiction book that takes you through this Everett?s life changing event and his rehab. One of the many themes of this book is when you are in doubt and everything seems hopeless, work hard and you will succeed through your predicament. In simpler words, when the going gets tough, the tough going. This book is well written and thoroughly describes Kevin?s rehab and how much support he received. I enjoyed this book very much. It was a memorable story, not worth reading again. It is a touching story that seems nearly hopeless at the beginning and leaves you with tears in your eyes and a smile on your face. ?The doctor said he had a 5 percent chance of ever walking again??(119). In my example, Kevin?s mother is explaining that the doctor had told her that Kevin only had a 5 percent chance of walking, but later Kevin overcomes the little chance of walking again. Kevin now walks with no assistance. Here is a quote at the end of the story: ?Everett, who in late December, almost four months after his injury, could stay on his feet for about an hour before getting tired?(198). You may have heard the inaccurate statement that Kevin was saved by Hypothermia. Kevin was treated with Hypothermia, but doctors say that, that cooled his body and is NOT the cure to paralysis. It is controversial treatment because there have been some spinal cord injuries where they are treated with hypothermia but do not fully recover. Also, it teaches the good lesson of you should take advantage of every day and moment and enjoy it because your life can change in a split second. Kevin learned his lesson and believes god has a plan for him. Kevin?s sisters have also learned their lesson. ?Hanging out and watching a movie together in their family room didn?t seem like such a big deal in early September. It does now?(212). I can connect this to a book my brother, who is a freshmen in high school, read in class called Don?t Blame the Game about a senior in high school who had a promising hockey career ahead of him and got a spinal cord injury. It is the same type of story. Both athletes had promising careers ahead of them and their lives changed in less than a second. This book has taught me to try to not complain because I have to realize that my life is great. It taught me to basically, take advantage of life. When you read this book it can change your how you treat your life.
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