Paralyzed Ex-Cheerleader, and Mom, Return to School

By Dustin K. Daniel
Black College Wire

Photo credit: The Panther "I had to finish" school. "There were no questions about it," says Brandy Norwood.

For most students, the morning ritual consists of, "What to wear?" and, "How's my hair?"

But for former cheerleader Bethany Norwood, 22, who since January has been recovering from a broken neck and living with paralysis, simple grooming is just the beginning of each day's hurdles. For Norwood, getting dressed and going to class require assistance.

So when Norwood returned to Prairie View A&M University as a senior this fall, her mother went back to school full time, too.

Marva Norwood gave up her job as a registered nurse in their hometown of Converse, Texas, near San Antonio, to move to Prairie View and care for her daughter.

"She's my backbone," Bethany Norwood said. "Everyone who's on the yard knows my mom is always with me."

She also brought back to school a fierce determination to complete her degree, despite the severity of injuries she suffered in a Jan. 14 cheerleading accident.

Prairie View's cheerleaders were practicing for the Panthers' game against Texas Southern when, during a stunt, Norwood landed on the mat head first, breaking her neck in six places.

Initially paralyzed below the neck, she slowly regained the use of her hands and arms with the help of rehabilitation.

After the accident, her family withdrew her from Prairie View. But she begged to be allowed to continue her studies, even while in intensive care.

"I knew I was going back to school, [but] I didn't know when, and I didn't know where," Norwood said. "I had to finish. There were no questions about it.

"Obtaining a degree would mean that I've overcome, when everybody said that I couldn't," Norwood said. "It's going to be, more or less, a milestone."

A political science major, she now is on track to graduate next summer. She enrolled in four classes this semester, which is considered a full-time load. There is more rehabilitation to come, but right now, what she wants most is her bachelor's degree.

The accident "has not changed my career goals," Norwood said. "It has made my career goals easier because it keeps me more focused. I still want to go to law school, and if not law school, I still would like to pursue a further education and get my master's degree."

So each day, Marva Norwood helps her daughter with grooming and dressing, then accompanies her to classes. In Spanish II, they sit side by side, with Bethany in her motorized wheelchair. Her mother takes notes and turns the pages of textbooks as needed. She's also there to help overcome obstacles, such as when an out-of-order elevator once prevented Norwood from reaching a class.

Marva Norwood praised the university and many professors for the ways they met her daughter's special needs. There is special parking, for example. And she is welcome in many professors' offices.

"After we found out that she doesn't have that long to graduate, the time that it would take out of my life to help her reach that goal is insignificant," Marva Norwood said. "She has been amazing through all of this. I'll feel great when she gets her degree."

Norwood is like her peers in many ways: She loves the same fashions, she enjoys rhythm and blues. But her friends on campus call her an inspiration.

"Bethany has been more than a friend, she's been a motivator," said Niky Wooding. "She has shown me that true meaning of dedication, triumph, motivation and, most importantly, love."

Dustin Daniel, a student at Prairie View A&M University, is a staff writer for The Panther.

Posted Nov. 15, 2004