 Hi, I'm Brooke Lesowski with CalTV Sports, reporting from UC Berkeley's Memorial Stadium. Today, I will sit down with rugby player Robert Paylor as he reflects on his inspirational story that all started on a day in his athletic career that would change his life drastically. Ever since Robert was young, sports have been a big part of his life. It wasn't until high school when he found his true passion for rugby, which ultimately landed him at UC Berkeley, playing for a top tier program. Just a few weeks ago, the team won its 33rd national championship title since the National Collegiate Championships for Rugby began in 1980. Yeah, just coming in here, putting in the work every day, it's a very high performance environment and the best player is going to play, so it's very competitive. A year and a half ago, the young sophomore kitted up and entered his first national championship game, knowing this game he would remember forever. However, the reasons for it being remembered turned out not to be what he anticipated. So to kind of just get right into it, May 6th, 2017, it was a big, big day to say the least. Yeah. It was a championship game. Could you kind of take me through what you remember from that day? We kicked the ball off, you know, made a couple of tackles and they committed a penalty, so we kicked into touch and kind of an obvious mauling situation where the big guys get together and we push as a unit. And I was one of the bigger guys, so I needed to be able to drive this thing in. And as I'm pushing, I get a couple of guys in from the side, which you're not supposed to do, and an opposing player wrapped me around the head in a headlock pinning my chin to my chest. And when I hit the ground, my face pressed to my chest, ruptured the disc in between my C-56 and I was completely paralyzed from the neck down. I couldn't move anything. I couldn't feel anything. It was terrifying. And after we did some imaging, the doctor said, Robert, you're probably never going to walk again. You're probably never going to move your hands. So what was going on through your mind when you were being told all these? It's pretty hard to explain that terror, you know, you feel in your bones when you're going through something like this. It's like a nightmare and you just can't wake up. You know, I was playing rugby, hit the ground, closed my eyes, and when I opened them, it was like a completely different life. But in a situation like that, it's kind of a survival mode. It's like, what do I got to do next that's going to get me better? That was just kind of the mindset is what's the next most important thing for me to do right now? So it sounds like you do have a really positive outlook on the next step and just progressing like that. That's awesome. A month after suffering a severe spinal cord injury and surviving surgery, pneumonia, and various processes trying to get him to eat on his own again, the determined Cal rugby player was admitted into Craig Hospital in Denver, Colorado, where he would do extensive amounts of rehabilitation in hopes to get himself back on his feet. So I can't even imagine being in the position that you are in. But just how is it that you are so hopeful once you are being told all this news about your paralysis and then possibly not even being able to walk again? Like, like, what is it that got you through that undoubtedly hard time in your life? I called my religious advisor just asking for some advice, asking for some prayers, and he said, Robert, what happened to you is bad, really bad. And there's a lot of things that you're not going to be able to control. But the one thing you can control is your mindset, your positivity, your ambition, your outlook is the only thing that you have control over every single day. And it's going to get you up, you know, working towards your goals as much as you want it to. So day one, that was what was going through my head is I need to control my mindset. And, you know, it's that I was probably not going to walk again. But I said, there's a chance my chances are bad. They're probably 3% or less. But I got it, you know, and they just said the more work you put in, the better your outcomes are going to be. And once I started putting in the work and I could just wiggle a toe or wiggle a finger or eventually pick up a cup and walk and stand. There's no turning back now. I've put in so much and I've gotten so much out of this. And I continue to get so much that there's just no option but to continue to go. After 11 months of extremely taxing work, Robert Paylor defies all odds and walked out of Craig Hospital. This past August, just over a year after the incident, Robert, with the help of family, friends and teammates, moved back to Berkeley. Today, he joins his fellow classmates in completing the rest of his undergraduate degree. So this semester, not only did you return back to UC Berkeley being a student going back to school full time, but you are also in a top 10 business program, Pod's Business School. Could you tell me a little bit about your transition into this academic life? Very rigorous academic life after being away from school for so long. Yeah, just thrilled, totally thrilled. I was not in the business school before I had my injury. So this is something that was totally new to me, something I was very excited to walk into. And yeah, it's just it's what I want to study. It's what I want to do. And it's what I want to continue to work on postgraduate, post-graduating. And yeah, I'm just loving it. You know, very prestigious school. It's just an honor to be able to talk to people and say, yeah, I'm in the high school of business and just knowing what comes with that. Total honor. Does kind of have a title to it, doesn't it? It's got to ring to it. Yeah. Unlike the rest of his classmates, when Robert leaves the classroom, it's not time for a break. Rather, it's time to get back to work as he continues doing his rehabilitation using Cal's facilities. So I understand and have even witnessed you working out here in the high performance center. How often do you do that and how has your rehab been like since you've been back in Berkeley? It's been steady and amazing, the progress that's been happening. You know, at first we were kind of a little worried that coming back to Berkeley not being in a therapy environment that my progress would kind of slow down, but quite the opposite. I've been working out three to four days a week with our associate head coach and our strength and conditioning coach. A lot of measurable goals that were hitting just this last Saturday. I walked 800 yards straight all on my own. Yeah, yeah, up on my feet, standing with Walker. Yeah, but yeah, my power. And yeah, I mean, when I got here, I think I could get about 200 yards at the beginning of the semester. So just after a couple of months, I'm multiply that by four. That's about a half mile now that I'm going. So earlier this football season, half time of the Oregon game, you were recognized in front of the entire stands for not only what you have been through in your inspirational story, but also your perseverance to walk again. And you even got to show everyone you walking while you were standing ovation. Could you take me back to that moment and what you were feeling at this time? Yeah, you know, I do a lot of walking. I walk almost every single day, but this was different. You know, this was in front of 40,000 people. All eyeballs on me and just an amazing moment. Had a little bit of nerves. You know, I don't want to screw that up, but it all ended up working perfectly. Probably one of the most memorable moments in Memorial Stadium. There's that. That's amazing. So I know you're a religious man, as I am myself. So I'm curious as to why you think God may have put this in your life and what lessons may you have learned or gained from this experience? Yeah, so something I kind of struggled with first is being religious and knowing that God is all powerful. How is this a part of my plan? Right. So all that bad stuff that's happened, that's not God. All the good stuff that happened, the love shown to me through all these people, the progress I've been making, just my ability to stay positive and have a good mindset surrounded by just so many amazing people. That's God. That's God working in my life. Well, thank you for joining me here today, Robert. Yeah, of course. Did I get a Go Bears on three? Yeah. All right. One, two, three. Go Bears! It truly is a miracle to see Robert Paylor not only walking, but to witness in person the amount of faith and positive outlook he has on life. Robert Paylor truly does have a heart of gold and brain-like Berkeley. Thanks for watching, and once again, I am Brooke Lasowski with CalTV Sports. Have a great Thanksgiving and Go Bears.