Ryan Shazier dances with his wife at his wedding

It’s been a long, hard road for Ryan Shazier after suffering a life-altering spinal injury in December of 2017. I remember the feeling in the pit of my stomach as he was laying there on the turf – writhing in pain and reaching for his back.

The road to recovery has been anything but easy. Though he’s a long way from how he was before the injury, Ryan Shazier has made great strides on the road to recovery. Every so often, Shazier will post a video of himself. It started with him walking with some assistance and progressed to upper body workouts and more.

Yesterday, we saw the most encouraging (and heart-warming) video yet: Ryan Shazier danced with his wife at his wedding.

Regardless of whether you like the Steelers or not, it’s hard not to feel happy for a guy who literally sacrificed his body for the game of football. To see Shazier being able to stay positive and live his life to the fullest is enough to soften even the hardest of hearts.

Shazier has shown determination and will power that most of us could not pretend to understand. It was his love for football and family that pushed him every day to reach the point where he is now. And because of that determination, Ryan was able to dance with his wife on the biggest day of his life.

Shazier might never be able to play football again. But I guess if we’ve learned one thing from him over the past few years, it’s to never count him out.