Father, Son Take Aim at Paralysis

“Your son will never walk again.”

Those words hit Nick Buoniconti harder than any blocker ever had in his seven years as linebacker for the Miami Dolphins.

“I broke down and cried,” said Buoniconti, recalling that tragic day, Oct. 26, 1985.

“The first thing that went through my mind was, ‘How am I going to tell my wife that our son is a quadriplegic?’ ”

Marc Buoniconti, then 19 and a linebacker for The Citadel, dislocated his neck while making a tackle against East Tennessee State. It looked like a routine tackle, the kind he had made many times before, but this play changed his life, leaving him paralyzed from the neck down.

The Buonicontis were in Washington, D.C., the other day to raise money for the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis. Marc, now 23, is spokesman and ambassador for the campaign that his father helped start after Marc’s injury.

There are more than 500,000 with paralysis in the United States. In 1990, an estimated 14,000 more will be paralyzed. Most common causes of spinal injuries? Auto accidents, sporting accidents and gunshot wounds.

Once paralysis was thought of as irreversible, but a possible cure is on the horizon.

“Recent findings in cell biology and nerve biology do show that the central nervous system has some capacity for repair,” said Dr. Susan Fitzpatrick, director of education and patient relations at the Miami project.

When Marc was crippled, it lit a fire in his father, who, throughout his playing career, was known for beating the odds.

Told he was too small to play middle linebacker in the NFL, the older Buoniconti excelled and helped the Dolphins to two Super Bowls in the early ‘70s.

Told his son would never walk again, Buoniconti set out again to beat the odds. He gave up his high-paying job as president of U.S. Tobacco to work full time as a fund-raiser for the Miami project.

“I’ll go anywhere, do anything, talk to anybody to raise money.”

That never-say-die spirit has been passed on to the son. After the accident, Marc went from 210 pounds to 130 in five months. He could breathe only with the use of a respirator. Now, he is off the respirator and getting stronger.

“My muscles are getting stronger, my bones are stronger and I breathe better,” Marc said.

“They really are motivated,” Fitzpatrick said. “They keep our spirits up. They want to get out of those chairs and are very willing to work. They really are a source of inspiration.”

A senior at the University of Miami, Marc said he “felt very sad” when he heard about Chuckie Mullins (Mississippi) and Jeff Fuller (San Francisco 49ers), football players paralyzed last year. “I know what they’re going through.”

But Marc is not bitter about football.

“Those things happen. Every time you step on the field, you know there’s that possibility.”

Emotion creeps into his voice as he talks about his dashed hopes of playing in the NFL.

“I would have loved to have given it a shot, but it was taken away from me and I’ll never get that chance again. I feel bad about that, but I’m getting along, moving along, doing other things now.”