Fitchburg High Football Player On Broken Neck: 'Every Day Is A Miracle'
FITCHBURG (CBS) - A Fitchburg High School senior says he is very fortunate to be alive and able to move his limbs after a frightening injury on the football field.
Trey Mahone, 17, broke his neck during Friday night's game against Nashoba Regional at Crocker Field in Fitchburg.
He was making a tackle in the first quarter when he was hit in the head by one of his teammates in the pileup.
Trey, a cornerback, said he knew something was seriously wrong when he lost his vision.
"My body went completely numb. I was on all fours," he told WBZ-TV Monday from his hospital bed at UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester.
"I didn't think I broke my neck. I just thought I had a concussion."
Trey managed to walk off the field without any assistance. He told his coach when he got to the sideline that he could no longer see.
Trey was immediately taken to the hospital where doctors told him he broke his C -1 vertebrae.
He does not need surgery but he will be required to wear a halo brace for the approximately four months.
"The pain is indescribable. It's excruciating," Trey said.
But he's keeping a positive outlook.
"Every day is a miracle. I consider it a blessing. God allows certain things to happen for a reason. Me breaking my neck is for a reason, but me surviving and being able to move all my limbs is a blessing," he said.
Trey thanks his family, his teammates and the staff at UMass Memorial Medical Center for all the care he has received.
