Devon Gales A long road to recovery; not alone

On October 1, press conferences were held at the Shepherd Center in Atlanta and the Ace Mumford Fieldhouse at Southern University on the update of junior wide receiver, Devon Gales.
There’s hope for Gales yet.
Doctors revealed that Gales will have a healthy recovery if necessary precautions are taken and he is still apart of the hearts of the Jaguar Nation.
After staying in Athens, Georgia for a successful 4.5-hour surgery performed by Kimberly P. Walpert, three days later, Gales was transported to the Shepherd Center in Atlanta, Georgia.
The Shepherd Center founded in 1975 has been called one of the 10 best rehabilitation centers in the country for neurological damages.
For now, Gales has only time on his side while Dr. Brock Bowman, MD of the Shepherd Center opened his statements on the present update. As of yet, Gales can move his upper body more so on his dominant right side and there’s faint feeling on the lower region.
“Neurological accidents tend to heal very slowly,” said Bowman, “It’s still really early and it could be weeks or months for initial recovery.”
Bowman mentioned that it would take a month to heal from surgery alone. After that phase alone, it would take 8 to 10 weeks before any type of physical therapy can be taken.
“For the next few weeks, we have to move back to square one with simple procedures such as hand movement, then it’s getting up into a chair, then finding his center of gravity located in the stomach region,” said Bowman.
“We want him to be independent before he reaches any other goals and it’s something we take advantage of everyday.”
Rather on just his update, during the press conferences, some have recognized his heroism and positive vibes.
“I was there at initial impact,” said interim athletic director Roman Banks, “he asked me if he could get a medical redshirt in which I knew at that moment that he could fight through it.”
Kimberly August, spokesman of the family and alumna of Southern University spoke highly on Gales and his road to recovery.
“He’s a wonderful son, brother, nephew, and student athlete and with the phone calls he received, he was consoling those on the phone that were angry. That’s what type of person he is,” said August.
August doesn’t alone ask the Jaguar Nation to pray for Gales but also pray for Marshall Morgan, the Georgia kicker that was involved in the accident against Gales on September 26.
“Devon and his family wants you to pray for the UGA football player, Marshall Morgan, and his family during he accident because this affected both men and will change their lives forever.”
Back home in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, media specialist Christopher Jones released the navy jerseys that will be used during homecoming and Gales will have his number 33 personally delivered to be reminded that he will never be forgotten.
This weekend as Southern experienced a by-week, Southeastern Conference teams Louisiana State University and the University of Georgia honored Gales in a separate fashion. The University of Georgia put 33 stickers on their helmets in their 38-10 loss against Alabama while LSU had painted men spell out, Pray for Devon during their 44-22 win against East Michigan.
Next week, Southern will carry their spirits for Devon to Montgomery to face Alabama State on October 10.