By Jen Smith
Fancast.com
30 Days creator Morgan Spurlock needs a break. That’s why he doesn’t always star in each show himself. Today’s adventure is being held for a celebrity of a different sort; instead of being behind a camera, this man is behind a defensive line. NFL star Ray Crockett has two Super Bowl rings under his belt but retired in 2002 after playing for the Lions, Broncos, and Chiefs. In 1991, teammate Mike Utley was paralyzed in an accident on the field. This is what inspired Ray to live as a paraplegic for 30 days. He has three rules to live by: He must be confined to the wheelchair at all times, but is allowed to stretch his legs once a day to prevent blood clots; He must participate in a wheelchair rugby team; He must attend weekly spinal cord rehab programs. It’ll be a tough month for a man who’s used to being physically active.
Day 1
Ray meets Dr. Bruce, a spinal cord specialist. He tells Ray to learn to appreciate the frustration of spending time staring at people’s belt buckles (Oh, did I mention they’re in Dallas?). It’s time for the moment of truth… and the instant Ray sits down he has doubts about this whole situation. He has chosen a manual chair instead of a power chair, too. This man is a glutton for punishment. His wife, April, helps him home where they promptly realize it’s anything but wheelchair accessible. There are stairs pretty much everywhere—leading up to his gigantic bed, leading into his gigantic shower, leading out to his gigantic back yard. It’s sort of hard to feel sympathy at this point, as I sit in my 600 square foot apartment.
Day 2
Ray’s first experience with the shower frustrates April most of all. She can’t exactly lift him, but they make it work. Luckily, his fancy shower already has a place to sit inside. I’m guessing other people aren’t so blessed. Ray heads back to the hospital to meet a woman named Shannon, who is in rehab after a car accident. She has no use of her legs and must gain strength to do things on her own. She just learned how to put her socks on (10 minutes each sock), which is difficult for Ray to watch.
Day 3
April is sick of being chauffer to Ray, but she has no choice. Wait, don’t they have kids? Anyway, Ray has his first group therapy session today where he hears the stories of other quad- and paraplegics. One story was especially heartbreaking—a man had a motorcycle accident and damaged a part of his spine that left him without use of both his arms and legs. His wife had a baby a month after the accident. He can’t hold the baby… instead, the baby must hold onto him.
Day 4
The Crocketts have their house refitted to be wheelchair accessible. It cost $50,000. They realize how lucky they were to be able to afford that. No kidding.
Day 6
Ray strikes up a friendship with Matt, a counselor from the support group who became quadriplegic at 17 years old. He sees Matt’s house, which was built in the ‘60s and is as wheelchair-unfriendly as it gets.
Day 10
In an effort to gain back a little independence, Ray learns how to drive with just his hands using clever levers and gadgets. While he has to be extremely focused, he’s excited to be driving again. Fitting a car or SUV to be accessible is another huge expense for people in wheelchairs. It can sometimes cost more than the car itself. Next, he finally meets his new teammates for wheelchair rugby. The game basically entails smashing into other as hard as you can in your wheelchair to try to knock the ball out of their hands. It’s way intense and requires massive amounts of physical strength. Ray says you almost forget they’re injured… but this was after they pretty much beat his ass.
We take a break from Ray to see Morgan have a foot race against a man with one leg. Morgan got schooled.
Day 17
This was the moment in the show where I teared up. Ray meets Luke, a friend of Matt’s who was there the day Matt was injured. Matt had swung from a rope but missed his target and landed in a creek bed. The two boys now have an eternal bond. While talking about their struggles, Luke bends a fork to make it easier for Matt to eat. It was heart-wrenching to see, and I hate to admit it but I had to leave the room to compose myself.
Day 22
Matt takes Ray to a bar to meet his girlfriend, Jessica. People stare, of course, but they don’t seem to notice anymore. The discussion of sex was imminent, and Matt laughs it off by saying he has to be on the bottom (and makes references to little blue pills… anyone know what he’s talking about?).
Day 25
After pumping much iron, Ray is back for more wheelchair rugby. These guys are world class athletes and pretty much laugh at his little Super Bowl rings. After, they grab a few beers and thank their lucky stars for the team because without it, they never would have had their eyes opened to everything that quadriplegics can do for themselves.
Day 28
Shannon is released from the hospital today. She’s scared to go home and be on her own without her physical therapists but Ray is convinced she’s strong enough to tackle it on her own. He’s grown from her, too. She’s helped him get stronger emotionally, mentally, and physically.
Day 30
Today’s the big day—Ray is finally getting out of his chair. He’s a bit wobbly but at least he still has use of his legs. He says he will always remember the obstacles and struggles of this journey. Matt his taught him the most. Seeing his perspective and seeing how Matt has remained positive reminds him that able-bodied people shouldn’t stress about trivial things. It was quite an experience for Ray, and he says it was worth every minute of it.
