- We were very excited about the game.

- It was like any normal,you know, Saturday.

- [Narrator] September 29th, 2018

college football is in full swing.

That day Derek and Stacy Abercrombie

drove from their homein Atlanta to Nashville,

to cheer on their son, Christian,

a linebacker for Tennessee State.

TSU faced in-town rival Vanderbilt,

a game that would permanentlychange Christian's life.

- When the game started, he was excited,

I seen him bouncing around.

- It was very crowded,

it was hot, we were justexcited and then it changed.

- [Narrator] Christian wasa highly touted prospect

out of Atlanta's Westlake High School.

He received nearly 30 DivisionOne scholarship offers.

His dream was to play in the NFL.

- He was a pretty big kid,

and I had been around football a while

to know the NFL caliber.

Yeah, I had those thoughts inmy head that he could make it.

During the game, he was making plays,

but he looked like he'skind of a sluggish.

He's out there, he's playing,

but he's just notlooking his normal speed.

- [Narrator] During the first half,

Christian made five hard hitting tackles.

- I found out somethingwas wrong after half time

and I looked in the area where

the defensive players were located

and I did not see Christian.

At that time, I began tokind of panic a little bit.

- [Narrator] The Abercrombies learned

that Christian had collapsed

and was rushed to Vanderbilt Hospital.

- When the nurse came in andshe said that he was very ill

and I needed to sign the consent forms

because he's had a head injury,

I was very puzzled and confusedand I began to question her,

you know, how did it happen?

And she didn't have any answers other than

we need to get him to surgery.

- Yeah it was kindasomething that we, you know,

thought we'll never hear.

- [Narrator] Christian hadsuffered a traumatic brain injury

and required a craniotomy,

a removal of a piece of skull

to relieve pressure on his brain.

The Abercrombies met with the surgeon.

- He's telling us, youknow, he may not wake up

and he's given us the medical terminology

of what occurred to Christian,and I remember, you know,

we cried and I kind of fellon the floor a little bit.

- [Narrator] The operation was successful,

but Christian was still in a coma.

- We was like, okay, that'senough, it's time to pray.

We gotta give it to God,we have to surrender.

There's nothing that wecan do that can change him.

And at that moment, it justchanged our entire perspective.

- Our prayer was, youknow, Jesus get us through,

you know, give him life and

we saying whatever that we can say

that will give him anyhelp through prayer.

- [Narrator] Derek and Stacysent out an urgent message

for friends and family to pray,

and they were amazed by the response.

- There were hundreds ofpeople in the waiting area,

couldn't even fit in the chapel praying.

And that was just a moment for me to say,

it's not me, it's not about me,

it's about God and what he can do.

- [Narrator] Afternearly three long weeks,

Christian awoke from his coma.

- I heard him kind of grunt,

so I looked at him in theface and he was looking at me

and I asked him, I said, can you hear me?

Can you talk?

And he looked at me andhe kind of whispered, yes.

- [Narrator] Stacy says,Christian's recovery

is nothing short of miraculous.

- Oh it was totally all a miracle.

From the surgeon stating it himself,

he said, it's nothing that I did,

there was nothing that Icould do to change him.

I did not expect to seeyou all in 24 hours,

I did not think hewould make it overnight.

So it was all God.

- [Narrator] Christian was transferred

to an Atlanta rehab facilityto learn to walk again.

- Pretty challenging,but I worked through it

and I was tired some days,but I worked through it.

It means a lot, I'mvery happy and blessed.

I couldn't do this without the man above

it brings chills to my body.

And I can say, I am closer to God,

I love going to church now.

I just love, I love praying.

- [Narrator] In May of 2021,

Christian graduated from Tennessee State

with an interdisciplinary studies degree.

Today, he's bringing awarenessto traumatic brain injuries

through the ChristianAbercrombie Foundation.

Christian says, he'sthankful for praying parents.

- I appreciate them and I love them.

I just wanna thank them fortheir support and prayers.

Without them, I don't know where I'd be.

It could have been adifferent outcome to this,

but I appreciate them so much.

- [Narrator] His parentscredit his recovery

to the power of prayer.

- While we're thinking thatGod has prepared him to be this

overall number one draft pick in the NFL,

that may not have been the plan all along,

He was preparing him forthis part of his life.

- When we wake up right now,

I feel like every day Ihit the lottery, you know,

that's how happy I feel asfar as how God has blessed us.

- My perspective on life have changed,

my faith has been built stronger.

I just feel as though, you know,

without prayer, nothing is possible.