HENRICO COUNTY, Va. -- The community is rallying behind Henrico High School student Samar Lemons.
Lemons, 18, was injured during a high school football game on Friday night.
"Samar suffered a fractured neck," his mother Dana Armstead-Guy wrote on a GoFundMe page she created for her son. "[He] has a long road to recovery to conquer."
Lemons, who remains hospitalized in ICU, is a high school senior involved in the ROTC.
He has expressed interest in attending Old Dominion University and pursuing a career in the armed services.
Armstead-Guy said she is grateful to be surrounded by family, friends and even strangers who are in prayer with her for her son.
“He fractured his neck. Columns three through C5 are broken. He cannot feel from his breast bone down and there’s limited mobility everywhere,” Armstead-Guy explained.
Lemons is facing a long road to recovery with the injury threatening his ability to walk again.
His mom believes with faith, anything is possible.
“They can say what they want and they can report what they want. I’m going to have another report for y’all in a little while and that’s of him walking up and down our driveway,” Armstead-Guy said.
She added, they are also being told by doctors that he will likely have to go to a long-term rehab facility in the future.
Armstead-Guy said community leaders are organizing an event this week called “17 on the 17th," and they hope to get 1,000 people to donate $17.
That’s a nod to Samar’s jersey number. It’s also his mom’s and little brother Nehemiah’s birthday.
In the meantime, Armstead-Guy said she’ll lean on her faith and keep praying for her son to make a full recovery, and walk again.
“My child is going to be a miracle and make somebody else believe in miracles.”
