Where is mike utley

I felt bad and am sorry I put them through that. On Thanksgiving, the Lions had a television brought in so I could watch the game with my brothers and a close friend. They snuck in pizza for me and we got a little rowdy. That night, it was discovered that I had two blood clots and was rushed back into the ICU. He was in his third NFL season as an offensive lineman for the Lions.

Life was good. Once the ball was snapped and the play was underway, Utley remembers using a hands-on approach to blocking for Kramer until his assignment changed his position. He put his hands on my shoulder, hit me and knocked me down," Utley said.

A burning sensation overwhelmed Utley's body as he endured a spinal cord injury that eventually paralyzed him from the chest down.

He would be carted off the field, but not before flashing the fans with a thumbs up for good measure. Twenty-five years later, the big fella has regained use in his upper body. Rehabilitation has allowed him to use his shoulders, arms and hands. His journey was used as a source of inspiration for a group of nearly 40 people Monday afternoon on 5 North of the inpatient unit at McLaren-Flint. Utley spoke for 30 minutes to therapists and patients dealing with strokes, spinal cord, and brain trauma with his wife, Danielle, accompanying him from their home in Orondo, Wash.

Weight training, hand-cycling, speed boating, shooting and other fun activities accompany his traditional rehabbing. Some days are better than others but the weekly speaking engagements keep him energized. Look in the mirror and decide what am I going to do to make my life better and make a difference. Everyone has different adversity and we all face it. Set a standard on how you are going to do things every day.

If you can learn to do some things yourself, be strong, and stand up for yourself and be a role model. But I also really miss the camaraderie in the locker room. We all loved it. I have absolutely no regrets that I played football and I would do it all over again if I could. I really have to thank Paul Tagliabue former NFL Commissioner , the Ford family, and my attorneys for helping to get the insurance company to cover my medical bills and allowing me to remain a part of the Detroit Lions.

I was training very hard and got very muscular in my upper body and it overwhelmed my lower body. I now have rods on the sides of my spinal cord from T-5 to L I was life-flighted twice to Colorado and those doctors saved my life. I have started all over again and a month ago, I began therapy twice a week.

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