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America's Remarkable Rookie Both my arms were broken, all of my ribs were broken, both my lungs collapsed, I had third degree burns, a fractured eye socket - and other things too grotesque to describe," he said. After surviving the first night through what his mother describes "a series of miracles," Robert spent 11 weeks in the hospital, followed by another three months at home in a hospital bed. It was during his hospital stay that Robert went through the inevitable sense of loss and depression, but emerged stronger than ever. Mourning and Recovery"In the beginning, I thought there was no hope. Soccer made up who I was and I thought it was all over. It was really frustrating and depressing. I was mourning my losses and not getting anywhere," he said.A visit from his teammates on the Alabama State Select Soccer team was particularly difficult. Robert began playing soccer when he was six. It was his passion. He'd been a leading scorer on his local club team, on his high school varsity team, and on the Alabama State Select team, a pre-Olympic development program. "When I saw their faces I knew I would never be on that team again," he said. "No one can take away the memories I have from those times. I decided I was going to get back out there and show my friends I could still play soccer. It gave me the motivation not to sit there and whine about it. At the same time, it was quite depressing." “Days after I realized that learning lies in your reaction to things. I reacted in the most positive way I could. I went from asking therapists to get out of my room to asking them to work me harder. I began going to a gym every day. Months later my physique was better than I'd ever seen it before. I was stronger, and I had better endurance." Refused to Give UpSpotswood decided not to give up on his passion. He found a cousin of his favorite sport while surfing the Internet - a web site for the American Amputee Soccer Association.He contacted Rick Hofmann, association executive director, and asked about the prospect of playing competitive soccer again. More |