Paralyzed student overcomes several obstacles to walk the stage on his graduation

When Nobel Haskell met with a car accident in June 2021, he was rendered paralyzed and never imagined he would ever be proudly walking to receive his high school diploma. Haskell was driving home from a "boy's trip" to Branson, Missouri, in late June with some friends when his car was struck in Russell, Kansas, per 9News.

Though he was hospitalized and under intensive care, his journey back to recovery began with a single step, and the former cross-country athlete was determined to get better. Consistent physiotherapy and his willpower came to fruition when he walked to the stage to receive his diploma as shown in a now-viral video.

Twitter account @GoodNewsCorrespondent shared this video where Haskell was awarded ‘Outstanding Student of the Year’ at the ceremony. In the video, he can be seen walking toward the stage with the help of a cane. He is congratulated by an educator who hands him the diploma and Haskell graciously says, "Thank you so much," while holding the certificate close to his chest.

He poses for the camera and slowly walks back as the crowd cheers for him. The heartwarming clip truly showcases an example of someone who ardently pursued their journey to reclaim what was lost, and his family and loved ones could not be happier.

Haskell's mom, Krisi Hantke, said this was a miracle, as nobody thought he could walk again soon. "So to think about where he was two years ago and to see him walk today, it was a miracle, and it wasn't just a big miracle; it was a hundred miracles along the way," Hantke told 9News.

"It's hard to see the progress day by day, but then when you start to look back, you see the huge strides we've taken with things like my walking, things like my balance, and just things like being able to stand up for periods," He added. "To be able to get here took a lot of hard work."

His mom added that his recovery journey has been a test of determination and faith. "Words can't express the humility and grace that he's given every day, the absolute grit and determination, and the relentless faith," Hantke said. "It's been excruciating. It has."

The former athlete is back on the grind and is not stopping until he can run again. "Keep doing what I need to do and keep fighting day by day, session by session, week by week, until I'm eventually back to running again," Haskell shared. "It took everything I've got to get here, but as I said, the job's not finished, and I still have more to go, and this is just the beginning."

Hantke's mother never lost hope or gave up on his son. "I knew that he would walk again; I knew that he would run, and I think that's what faith has been for us—that belief when you can't see it, just the relentless going after it and believing that he's going to do it—and he did," she said. Haskell added that his team will always cheer for him, even when he is not running on the field. "To know that all of those other teams are still there, rooting me on and cheering for me from the sidelines, even though I'm not still on the course and I'm not still running, they're still on my side cheering me on."

He added, "There's been a path set in front of me. I'm going to walk it, and I'm going to let other people know that it's going to be alright. Just keep fighting. You've got to have faith, keep praying, and keep believing, and it's just going to get better. It's just going to keep getting better. Everyone serves a bigger purpose than where they are currently."