Paralyzed man makes miracle recovery so he could flip the bird

By Ben Barry via SWNS

A man paralyzed from the neck down made a miracle recovery - so he could stick his middle finger up and kick his friend in the balls.

Chase Friedman, 27, fell after a New Year's bash at the end of 2020.

His head hit the sink and "snapped back" - the last thing he remembers.

Chase was taken to the hospital and thought he might be paralyzed from the shoulders down for life.

But he has made a remarkable return to health - which he says was motivated by a desire to flip the bird and boot his pal where it hurts.

Content creator Chase, who rehabbed in Philadelphia, was also inspired to get better - so he could climb the 'Rocky' steps.

"When you go to rehab, they tell you to set goals - which might normally be to move your hands or stand up.

"Mine was to flip people off, walk up the 'Rocky steps in Philly and kick my friend in the balls."

"After two months I was able to flip someone off, a week after that I walked up the 'Rocky' steps and Sylvester Stallone shared the video saying I was the real-life Rocky story.

"A month after being in outpatient I asked if I could practice kicking.

"When I got home I kicked my friend in the balls. Even though it was a stupid idea, it was a full circle moment for me as nobody thought I would be able to get to this point."

Chase, from Los Angeles, had been invited to spend a few days in Philadelphia to celebrate New Year's Eve with his friends.

A group then went to a girl's house for an after-party - where disaster struck.

He said: "Around 7 am the next morning, I got up off the couch to go to the bathroom.

"I tripped, I fell and I hit my head of the sink and my head snapped back."

Chase was lying on the floor concussed and his friends called him an ambulance.

He was taken to Jefferson University Hospital, where he was told he had a spinal cord hemorrhage.

Chase was told he may never walk again and went into surgery on January 2, 2021, to stabilize his condition.

He said: "After the surgery, the doctors came in and told me that they didn't know what was going to happen.

"From that moment I became determined to regain movement."

He spent two weeks in intensive care.

"While I was in hospital I found out that I had Covid so I couldn't see my friends or family for the first month.

"Whenever a nurse or doctor came into the room they would have to suit up to come see me.

"When I was in rehab, I did a bit of everything, the thing that most helped was called 'vector.'

"It was a harness in the ceiling that would carry my body weight while I walk."

After leaving rehab in March 2021, Chase entered an outpatient program that led him to walk with assistance.

After a month in the outpatient program, Chase flew out to San Diego to be with his family and fully recover.

In May 2021, Chase started walking unaided and flew back to LA in July.

He said: "It was incredible, the first time I ever walked unassisted was a bit earlier but this time I could walk up steps unaided.

"It was really challenging, at this point, walking became second nature to me and I needed to start jogging."

"I [first] thought I might not be able to move my body for the rest of my life.

"The doctors came in a little later and said they didn't know what was going to happen but there was a chance I might get some movement back.

"I dropped everything in my life, the only two things I cared about were working hard and staying positive."

After reaching certain milestones, Chase has his heart set on another one.

By the end of the year, he wants to run a 5k.

Chase said: "At this point, I can run half or three-quarters of a track before I have to stop.

"I am improving really fast, last week I couldn't do that much so by the end of the year I should be able to run 5k.

"I feel my whole journey has proven to me that no matter how bad life can look, there is a way to turn it around.

"I have lots of imposter syndrome, I don't know how this happened."