ALLENTOWN, Pa. — An advocate for those with disabilities who became a Netflix documentary star is making his way to the Lehigh Valley for a night of inspiration.
Chris Norton, the subject of the Netflix documentary "7 Yards: The Chris Norton Story" about his spinal cord injury and recovery, will speak at 6:30 p.m. today, May 29, at Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Network's South Allentown campus.
The event is free to the public. Registration for the event is requested by visitingGood Shepherd’s website.
“Life in a chair is only as limited as I believe it to be."Chris Norton, star of ‘7 Yards: The Chris Norton Story'
This is the second year Good Shepherd is holding a free national speaker event.
Last year’s event featured All-American wrestler, MMA competitor and "America’s Got Talent" contestant Zion Clark.
Norton, now a motivational speaker, travels the country visiting fortune 500 companies sharing his message of perseverance.
“Life in a chair is only as limited as I believe it to be,” Norton has said.
'Responsibility to advocate'
Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Marketing Director Mike Walbert said, “Chris has a really inspiring background.
“We, as an organization, felt that he really was a great representative of the population that we serve, our patients or residents, and really the message that he portrays."Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Marketing Director Mike Walbert
"He was given a 3 percent chance to ever move again after a football injury, he played college football, and by his willpower, belief in himself, certainly a community around him, experts around him, he persevered.
“He walked across the stage for his college graduation and then famously, there was a Netflix documentary, he walked down the aisle with his wife at his wedding.
“We, as an organization, felt that he really was a great representative of the population that we serve, our patients or residents, and really the message that he portrays."
Walbert said Good Shepherd feels "it's our responsibility as an organization to go beyond just caring for our patients and residents. It's really our responsibility to advocate for them.
“Events like this, the second year in a row, we feel like it's a great opportunity to pull together patients, residents, our staff, community organizations, just the general public, and come and hear somebody who has been through a lot, has come out on the other side, and is bravely and courageously sharing his story.”
