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Kevin Bacon Surprises Students at High School Where ‘Footloose’ Was Filmed — Announces He’s Visiting Them for Prom

After some very serious lobbying from students at Payson High School in Payson, Utah, where “Footloose” was filmed, Kevin Bacon announced Friday that he would be returning to the high school for this year’s senior prom. 

“My Last Thought Was a Desperate Plea to God, ‘Lord, Give Me the Strength to Die Well’”: Mom With ‘Invisible Illness’ Shares Her Harrowing...

"'Help me to not look like I am suffocating,' I prayed. 'Lord, please protect my son’s heart from this.’ And I faded away."

“My Husband Turned Blue to Gray”: Wife In Shock Over the One Drink That Killed Her Husband

"The doctor's exact words were 'People drinking these drinks are playing Russian Roulette with their lives.' I was blown away and couldn’t believe just one drink could do this damage"... And KIDS can buy these anywhere.

A Football Injury Left Him Paralyzed—7 Years Later, Chris Norton WALKS His Bride Down the Aisle!

Seven years after a college football accident paralyzed Chris Norton, he walked his bride, Emily Summers, down the aisle to the applause and admiration of their 200 guests. Nothing could keep Chris and Emily from walking down the aisle together at their wedding this last April 21 — their love and determination is that strong!

When Tragedy Struck Chris Norton

On October 26, 2010, Chris fractured his C3 and C4 vertebrae during a Luther College football game in Decorah, Iowa. The injury occurred as Chris’ head impacted the ball carrier’s knee, leaving Chris face down, motionless on the ground.

In his book (co-written with his father, Terry) The Power of Faith When Tragedy Strikes: A Father-Son MemoirChris remembers that right after the injury “silence permeated the space around us. The only people talking were trainers or coaches, and beyond that, I could have heard a penny drop in the stadium. Ten minutes went by as questions continued. ‘Can you feel us grabbing your foot? Can you feel this on your leg? Do you feel this prick on your arm?’ I kept saying, ‘No, no, no, no!’ ”

Terry writes: “The part I remember most, the part that burned like a knife in my gut, was that as they stabilized him, he didn’t move at all. Not one part of his body had moved.”

They took Chris by ambulance to a local hospital and then the nearby Mayo Clinic. Chris had a 3 percent chance of ever moving anything below his neck again.

I had two choices. Was I going to spend the rest of my life feeling sorry for myself? Or was I going to make a stand? I know one thing. When they tell you that you have a 3% chance of moving anything below your neck again, forget the 97. Focus on the 3. Yes, my life changed forever; but through my experience, I realized that how my life would change was up to me. I had …THE POWER TO STAND.

Chris proved everyone wrong as he worked to regain his mobility — first walking across the stage at his college graduation. Now he travels full time as a motivational speaker to share this message:

I’M CHRIS NORTON, AND I GOT KNOCKED DOWN. HARD.

But our lives aren’t shaped by circumstance. They’re shaped by us. Perseverance isn’t about the physical act of standing: it’s about attitude, and the ability to shape yourself in the face of adversity.

While training for his wedding walk, Fotolanthropy, a non-profit organization that celebrates stories of hope of those who have defied odds, started to work on a documentary about Norton, Summers, and their ambitious goal to make it down the aisle. Watch the trailer below.

Christine Yount Jones
Christine Yount Jones
Christine Yount Jones is Content Director for Outreach Media Group. She has published several books and hundreds of articles about ministry in the last three decades. Before his death in 2003, Michael Yount and Christine had three children. Now, she and her husband, Ray Jones, together have five grown kids.

Kevin Bacon Surprises Students at High School Where ‘Footloose’ Was Filmed — Announces He’s Visiting Them for Prom

After some very serious lobbying from students at Payson High School in Payson, Utah, where “Footloose” was filmed, Kevin Bacon announced Friday that he would be returning to the high school for this year’s senior prom. 

“My Last Thought Was a Desperate Plea to God, ‘Lord, Give Me the Strength to Die Well’”: Mom With ‘Invisible Illness’ Shares Her Harrowing...

"'Help me to not look like I am suffocating,' I prayed. 'Lord, please protect my son’s heart from this.’ And I faded away."

“My Husband Turned Blue to Gray”: Wife In Shock Over the One Drink That Killed Her Husband

"The doctor's exact words were 'People drinking these drinks are playing Russian Roulette with their lives.' I was blown away and couldn’t believe just one drink could do this damage"... And KIDS can buy these anywhere.