Although he was told he would be a quadriplegic for the rest of his life, James refused to settle for that prognosis as an outcome for the remainder of his life that he felt was just getting started. "I prayed on a daily basis and I know God heard and answered my prayer.” James was injured in a game in Vancouver and made a pledge to himself during the following season that if Edmonton made it to the Grey Cup, the Canadian football league championship game , he was going to walk into the stadium and on to the field.
As fate would have it, Edmonton did make it to the championship game and the game that was being played ironically in Vancouver in the very same stadium from which he would be carried out of on a stretcher. And yes, that year a determined James Bell began to recapture his life and did walk into that stadium and on to that football field, first steps in casting out his demons and embracing his future.
Today, James is working with a nonprofit home buying organization in Texas that works with individuals seeking to become first-time homeowners. James says that he is very fortunate and privileged to have met and played with individuals like Joe Maloof, who recently announced the creation of a scholarship in the name of James Bell at the University of New Mexico. “Joe has a timeline and he knows my desire was always to get back to the University of New Mexico and I thank God for allowing him to make my dream and desire a reality,” says James.
James Bell is a remarkable individual who never allowed adversity to dictate his abilities. In situations that dictate to him to give up, he would find the strength and the courage to rise up above expectations. He is an inspiration and an accreditation of all who knows him.
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