MIAMI--When Dwyane Wade was wheeled off the court with a shoulder injury in a game against the Houston Rockets on Wednesday, many fans wondered if he would ever walk again. But the wheelchair-bound Wade isn’t about to give up just yet. In an inspiring interview with the Miami Herald, Wade vowed “to get out of this chair and walk again” despite having a dislocated shoulder.
“I will walk,” Wade said, his arm in a sling and a blanket covering his legs. “I will play basketball again. I don’t care how much rehab it takes and how much adversity I have to overcome. I’ve never been the kind of person to run away from a challenge. Have you ever seen my Converse commercial? I keep falling down, and I keep getting back up. That’s my thing, and broken shoulder or not, I will rise from this wheelchair and walk again.”
Throughout his career, Wade has been known as a never-say-die warrior who sacrifices his body for the good of his team, so the sight of him being wheeled off the court was disturbing to many observers.
“Yea, you know it has to be something bad to see me wheeled off the court like that,” said Wade. “I’m not the kind of guy who’s prone to dramatic displays. Personally, I didn’t even want that wheelchair. The trainers forced me to get into it. They were like ‘D-Wade, don’t try to be a hero. You’re not Superman. You’re only human.’ They were right of course, and I got in that chair and they put a towel over my shoulders cause it was chilly, and I had a good cry, and I got wheeled off.”
Wade has already begun his grueling rehab process. He spends his days with a trainer, swimming laps and working to rebuild the strength in his shoulder. But the hardest part is running on the treadmill, a process which consists of repeatedly falling down and getting up, something the persistent Wade is used to by now.
“Argghh…Urgghhh…Come on! I can do this!” Wade gasped as lifted himself off the floor once again. He then grabbed the handle of the treadmill with his one good hand and resumed running, only to fall soon after, calling to mind the struggles of Jesus as he carried the cross. A camera crew from WSVN Miami stood close by to capture the moment.
“Remember, it’s not how many times you fall down, it’s how many times you get up,” Wade said, as he sat on the floor wiping his forehead with a towel. “This is just a minor setback for me. I’ll be back next season at full force, flying through the air again, taking charges again, grimacing in pain again. But for now, I’m going to try and stand up. Why don’t you shoot this one in slow motion guys, just to capture the moment. Ready? AAARRRGGHHHHHHH! GGGRRRRRGGGHHHHHHHH! Ouch! Finger boo-boo! Cut!”
Wade stopped by practice on Monday to pay a visit to his teammates. After being wheeled into the locker room by his agent, he gave a talk to the team while being hoisted up by Shaquille O’Neal and Antoine Walker. According to Heat players, the speech was “inspirational.”
“It was great to see D-Wade up there talking to us even though he has a bum shoulder,” said forward Udonis Haslem. “He said some really great things, like that we need to step it up in his absence, and that he’ll be cheering us one with his one good arm. He also made a vow to us that he would walk again someday, which I thought was really encouraging. I mean, if we have to spend a whole season with Shaquille O’Neal trying to carry us, I’m going to fall down myself and never get back up, no matter how many cameras are on me.”
As a person who had to overcome health issues to return to the court this year, head coach Pat Riley can certainly relate to what Wade is experiencing. Riley used Wade’s ordeal to illustrate the value of persistence and toughness to his team.
“I told my team today ‘be like him,’” Riley said after Wade’s speech. “Not only is he a brilliant player, he’s a wonderful person, and he’s tough as nails. Nobody falls down and gets up as much as him. He’s like a toddler learning how to walk. It’s just too bad that he’s out for the season, because we were really counting on him to carry us. Come to think of it…my hip is starting to hurt again.”
http://thebrushback.com/wade_full.htm
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