HOUSTON – For 13-year-old Joshua Benson and his family, football is a way of life.
After all, he's been playing ever since he was little.
Bridgette Benson, Joshua's mom, said, "He's been playing for a very long time, he loves it. It's his favorite sport."
On Tuesday night, Josh's football team from Woodcreek Junior High was taking on Katy Junior High in a pretty close game.
But in the last two minutes of that game, things quickly took a scary a turn after Josh took a hard hit in the back.
Josh, who is still recovering, explained, "It got really worse because everything got real numb."
Unable to move his legs or arms, Josh was quickly rushed to the hospital as his family and teammates feared the worst.
Eli Stewart, a teammate of Joshua, said, "We just kind of huddled on the sideline and prayed for him to get back up."
It's wasn't until nearly five hours later that Josh finally started to regain the feeling in his arms and legs.
Following a checkup with doctors, they say Joshua suffered spinal shock, but he is expected to be OK and make a full recovery.
Bridgette said, "Now that he is able to move and able to walk, I'm just grateful. Very, very grateful."
The family is also thankful to the community and the wealth of support it has shown through both social media and in person.
Joshua said, "It meant a lot to me, it was pretty special."
"Very helpful and uplifting in a time of crisis to know that the community was just there," said Bridgette.
Joshua is out for the remainder of the season, but doctors said he should be ready to go for the beginning of next season, his freshman year.
