Patric Young provides update on recovery after car accident, shares great chat with Billy Donovan

In late June, former Florida star Patric Young was involved in a car accident that left him paralyzed. Two months later, he shared how his recovery is going, and he’s still smiling.

Young appeared on The Paul Finebaum Show Thursday to talk about how his life has changed since the accident. He’s now out of the hospital following a month and a half stay and said the staff set him up to return home alongside his wife and stepdaughter for some semblance of normalcy.

“I got discharged from Craig Hospital [in Colorado] this past Friday and what they do at Craig Hospital, which is awesome, [is] if you are to never get better from where you are, they help you to find complete independence,” Young told Finebaum. “As long as the house that I’m living in, the doorways are wide enough … I can get around and I can do whatever needs to be done, I can reach. Fortunately, I’m tall and I have long arms, so that’s a great benefit to being so tall.”

CLICK HERE to subscribe for FREE to the On3 YouTube channel

Now, it’s about getting stronger, and Young is working toward doing just that. In fact, he’s able to wiggle his toes now. But it won’t be easy, and he talked about how hard he’s working with his former coach, Billy Donovan.

In the process, he also showed his sense of humor is still in tact.

“I joked with Coach Donovan the first time he and I connected and I was like, ‘Coach Donovan, if I would’ve worked this hard any of my four years in college, I would’ve been a first-round pick. I would’ve been lottery,'” Young said. “But, Paul, things are looking great, especially with me being able to wiggle my toes. Just got to be patient. One day at a time.”

It’s still unclear if Young will walk again, but he’s staying upbeat — and seeing his life from a new perspective. He’s going to start his rehab soon, and he’ll see where it takes him.

“The plan is there’s an awesome neuro-recovery place in Jacksonville that I’ll be going [to] five days a week,” Young said. “We’ll begin pool therapy, which has had great results. Again, spinal cord injuries, there’s no telling what can happen. There’s many people that shouldn’t walk again that do and other people that you think are going to walk again but don’t. It could take years, it could take months.

“All I can control, Paul, is going one day at a time and understanding this life I live is so much bigger than myself. How am I showing up for my daughter, how am I showing up for my wife, how am I showing up around my coworkers as a man, regardless of my circumstances? … Those are the things that matter to me because I can only control what I can control and if it’s not in my destiny to walk again, I can still have a great, fruitful life. I swear on my life, I’m going to fight harder than anything.”