Former Quince Orchard football standout Ty Williams is making progress in his efforts to recover from a serious neck injury suffered in September in the season opener for his Georgetown University football team.

Williams, who has been unable to move his legs since the accident, is undergoing intensive rehabilitation at the Shepherd Center in Atlanta, one of the nation’s top rehabilitation hospitals for spinal cord and brain injuries. His cousin, Monica Cochran, reported recently that “Tyrell has been making great progress. He’s able to hold his arms up for an extended period of time and feed himself amongst other milestones.” In addition, Williams “is now in a manual wheelchair. This is awesome because he is no longer dependent on an electric wheelchair, but has enough muscle control and movement to operate a manual wheelchair on his own. This also helps him to continue to strengthen his muscles.”

On Sept. 5, Williams shattered sections of his vertebrae while making a tackle during a game at St. Francis University in western Pennsylvania. He was immediately transported to UPMC Altoona Hospital where he endured nine hours of surgery, receiving a spinal fusion, inserted rods, and a prosthetic intervertebral disc. He was transferred the following week to Shepherd Center.

His mother, Melissa Rand, has been staying with Williams during his recovery, first in Pennsylvania and now in Atlanta. His father, Terry, and younger brother, Marcus, a QO student, visit when they can.

“I told Ty it is me and him until he is walking again. We are in this fight together and we will overcome this obstacle,” Rand said, showing again the kind of support she gave Williams during his QO playing days, when her cries of “Go, baby, go!” rang throughout the Cougardome during her son’s frequent long runs.

Williams and his family have received support from a number of sources. Cochran established a GoFundMe account called Ty’s Road To Recovery that has received over $50,000 in contributions from almost 480 online contributors. The funds are to help with non-medical costs, including travel, hotel stays, and loss of income for Williams’s family. To contribute, search online “Go Fund Me” and “Ty Williams.”

Among the contributions was a grant of $5,000 from the College Football Assistance Fund (CFAF), a non-profit, tax-exempt organization dedicated to the support of football players. CFAF has also established a fund to assist the family at www.CFAFund.org.

Williams has also received numerous messages of support—some videotaped—from college and professional athletes and teams, including regular contact from coaches and members of the Georgetown and St. Francis football teams. Jason Garrett, the coach of Williams’ favorite football team, the Dallas Cowboys, sent him a personal letter, an autographed football, a sweatshirt, and a photo. He also received a visit from former Georgetown and professional basketball great Dikembe Mutombo, and an autographed jersey from Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin. In addition, friends, neighbors, and other members of the QO community have been a steady source of support.

Rand said that Ty “would like to personally thank his football family and the community for their continued love and support. … It means a lot.”

Williams is scheduled to remain at Shepherd until December. His goal is to return to Georgetown as a full-time student for the spring semester, and Rand said he “is progressing well and working extremely hard. … I am so proud of his perseverance and his amazing attitude.”