He had studied the film and knew exactly where the quarterback was headed, tracked him, saw his opportunity, and, running full speed, put his head down to make the hit.
Unlike every other tackle he made throughout his football career, Brian Cerow, ’22, knew instantly this one was different.
“I felt and heard the crack and knew immediately something was wrong,” he said.
In a panic, Brian managed to jump to his feet, remove his helmet and walk off the field.
“My neck! My neck!” he screamed.
Today, when the Bridgewater State University freshman shares with his new college friends how he overcame a broken neck injury, many express shock that he’s still standing.
The Hopedale native was able to walk onto the Bridgewater campus this fall, but that isn’t always the case for those who break their C1 vertebrae, as Brian had.
“The majority of the time, C1 vertebrae fractures, you just die instantly,” he said. “You lose your respiratory system, you can’t breath, and unless you get oxygen within the first 10 minutes, you die.”
Lucky for Brian, the placement of his fracture wasn’t fatal.
“It was nanometers away,” he said.
At the time of his injury last fall, Brian was a senior and captain of the Blackstone-Millville Hopedale co-op football team.
After months of wearing a neck brace and hours of physical therapy, he miraculously recovered and shocked everybody when he was able to suit up with the lacrosse team to close out his high school athletic career.
He plans to continue playing club lacrosse at BSU, where he’s majoring in psychology.
Having a near-death experience might encourage some to change their perspective on life. Not Brian.
“I’ll be honest, it just kind of furthered the ideals I already have. Live your life to the fullest on a daily basis because you don’t know when that last day is. Make meaningful connections with those around you, base those connections on love, compassion and caring,” he said.
Following his injury, Brian’s hometown rallied around him. That sense of community contributed to his successful recovery.
Since arriving on campus, Brian said he has been able to expand and add to his support system.
“I’ve already got a great group of friends here,” he said. “This is a great community with a lot of great people here on campus. I’m finding my niche.” (Story by Heather Harris Michonski; photo by Carl Hollant’15, University News & Video)
