Shorter's Tamar Watson a "Walking Miracle"

From time to time on College Sports, we highlight those student-athletes who have overcome all odds to excel at their sport. Perhaps no other student-athlete exemplifies overcoming all odds then Shorter's Tamar Watson. It's a miracle she is even walking, let alone playing soccer for the Lady Hawks.

Watson was in her native country of Trinidad during the Christmas break. Watson and her best friend Giselle Salandy were driving on the outskirts of Port-of-Spain, Trinidad's capital city, when they were involved in a horrible automobile accident which killed Salandy and seriously wounded Watson. both femurs in Watson's legs were shattered in the accident, and doctors feared she would never walk normally again.

"It was the hardest and most difficult days of my life," said Watson. "I was thinking I'd never walk normally again and I'd never play again and knowing that Giselle was not here any more - it was hard." Doctors inserted two steel rods into each of Watson's femurs. They said that in time, her injuries would heal, but that she would never walk normally again.

However, through Tamar Watson's faith in God and her own determination, she defied the odds and is looking forward for her final year wearing a Shorter uniform. She also believes that Giselle Salandy would want her to persevere and never give up. "Giselle and I worked hard to get where we were despite the problems we had growing up," Watson said of her best friend Salandy, a world-class boxer. "What keeps me going is that I know she'd tell me to get up, work hard and keep going."

Watson was confined to a wheelchair for 5 months, but after that, she had had enough. "I'd get up and take a few steps on my own," Watson said. "I wasn't supposed to and the doctors were upset about it." After weeks of taking those initial steps, Watson took bigger and bigger ones until she was rehabbing twice a day and doing more work on her own. She added the pool, beach and the gym to her rehab. Watson said it was exhausting for her, but it eased the stress as well.

As a result of God's healing hand and her hard work in rehab, Watson returned to Shorter for the Fall semester. Lady Hawks Head Coach Josh Severns was amazed at how far she had come. "We had talked about her coming back, finishing at Shorter and being a part of the team," Severns said. "But we had no idea of just how far she has come. I know T's attitude. She is very determined and has a lot of passion about what she does. "I know it was tough on her, but she has focused on getting back on the field."

Right now, Watson is on the sidelines cheering her teammates, but she is determined to get back on the field. During the 2008 season, Watson scored 8 goals and had an assist. Shorter Athletic Director Josh Tucker is hopeful that Watson will be able to play before her career at Shorter is over. "Primarily we are working on regaining full range of motion in both of her knees which have stiffened due to the large amount of scarring in the quads from the initial injuries, the surgeries and general inactivity," Tucker said. "At this point maybe, and I'm just guessing, she'll be practicing again with the team around mid-October." Tucker went on to say that regardless of when Watson will be able to play again, it is simply a miracle she is even walking around.

Tamar Watson is extremely thankful to God and to her Shorter family. She feels she wants to give back to Shorter for all that they have done for her. "The Lord definitely has a plan for my life," Watson said. "He wants me to do what is right and now I'm starting to find out what it is." During the aftermath of the accident, Coach Severns, her teammates and the Shorter community called her and sent cards and gift baskets. "I know I have to give something back to Shorter because they have been so good to me," Watson said. A Business Administration major at Shorter, the Senior forward knows that God has much more in store for her and she is ready to do his will. "All of this, what I'm doing, is purpose driven. I know that God has a plan for me," Watson said. "There is a greater things for me to do and I want to find out what they are."

May of us from day to day may feel sorry for ourselves due to whatever trials we may have to deal with, most of them trivial compared to that of Tamar Watson. Her story is one of the most inspiring examples of faith in God, hard work and perseverance, and love and support from the Shorter community. If and when Watson takes the field again for the Lady Hawks, it will be a great day indeed. The fact that she overcame a terrible car crash which killed her best friend and regained the ability to walk is truly a miracle indeed. More on this story can be found at the Shorter athletic website www.goshorterhawks.cstv.com