WARREN, Ohio – Eight months before Tyson Gentry broke his neck, he wrote words of encouragement for a stranger facing a life-changing injury. At his lowest point, those same words unexpectedly found their way back to him.
Gentry, an author and motivational speaker, joined host Jim Tressel on the “It’s All About the Team” podcast to recount the events surrounding the spinal cord injury he suffered while playing football at The Ohio State University and the message that helped change his outlook during his recovery.
Gentry says the story begins during Ohio State’s 2005 fall camp, when motivational speaker Rosemarie Rossetti asked players to write letters of encouragement for patients undergoing rehabilitation at Dodd Hall. Gentry wrote a message intended to help someone he does not know through one of the most difficult periods of their life.
Eight months later, Gentry broke his neck and underwent two surgeries. Following the second procedure, he experienced severe pain related to his spinal cord injury and reached what he describes as his breaking point.
The next morning, a nurse familiar with Dodd Hall found the letter Gentry wrote months earlier and returned it to him. The message told its reader to never give up, overcome adversity and remember that others believe in them. Gentry recognized his signature and realized he now had to live by the same advice he once wrote for someone else.
Gentry says his condition began improving from that point. Within seven days, he moved to a step-down unit, and a week later, he began rehabilitation.