Kevin Everett

K.E. "jukin'"

When you hear the word hero, what do you think of? Some of the bravest heroes are people that overcome injury or illness. There are billions of heroes in the world and I am writing about one of them that had a horrible accident. I always watch the NFL games on television. A lot of NFL players can be someone’s hero. Many give back to their community, or become involved with programs to help people in need. I do consider them heroes but the man I am writing about is one of the greatest heroes to play football for the Bills. One of my heroes is Kevin Everett.

Kevin Everett was born on February 5th, 1982 in Port Arthur, Texas. He attended Thomas Jefferson High School in his home town. He won Class 5A All-State honors in 2000 as a senior. Kevin Everett attended Kilgore College for two years. He then transferred to the University of Miami. In 2005 Kevin Everett was the 86th overall pick in the third round by the Buffalo Bills. In 2005 he missed the season with a torn knee ligament on the first day of minicamp.

Kevin Everett made a difference because he was very courageous. On September 9th, 2007, on a kick off, Kevin tried to tackle the return man and suffered a neck injury. He had to be taken off the field by an ambulance and needed emergency surgery. The injury was announced as a cervical spine injury. Dr. Andrew Cappuccino of Buffalo Spine Surgery gave Everett little chance of walking ever again. Cappuccino described the injury as “life threatening” giving Everett 5-10% chance of regaining full utilization of his physical capabilities. Then On December 23, 2007, Kevin Everett walked on the field of Ralph Wilson Stadium in front of many fans for the home finale against the New York Giants.

T.A. Barron says in his book, A hero’s Trail, that a hero within is someone who overcomes something inside of themselves, such as an illness like polio; physical problems like being blind or having a stutter that some of the people in the book have. Kevin Everett is a hero within. He showed Dr. Cappuccino and many others that he had the strength and determination to walk again. He made a fast recovery and can now walk again.

What is a hero? A hero can be anyone. It can be someone from down the street that you see every day. It can be someone on television or an artist. Kevin Everett’s life was turned upside down when he had a neck injury. He didn’t let it stop him from walking again. He fought his injury and is now walking. He is now one of billions of heroes.