MIDLAND, Texas — High School Football often defines culture in the fall here in West Texas, but sometimes there are situations that the community comes together for, during the football season, that are bigger than football.
For Midland High School senior Jaxson Kidd, Memorial Stadium in Midland holds a lot of memories. From hitting the practice field with his teammates, and more recently, adding public speaking to the list.
"I think that if I didn't do it, I would regret it later on in life," Kidd said. "I didn't want to look at it like a missed opportunity. I wanted to share my story in case it inspired some people."
As he entered his senior season, Kidd faced an unexpected turn in his story.
A turn that changed his life forever.
"August 12th," Kidd said. "I think our scrimmage started at 10, and literally seven plays in, I was coming down to make a tackle, hit the ground. I couldn't move for about eight seconds and got up and told my trainer that I was fine and that my neck was just sore. Then, for three plays, I went in for a punt and then came back because my head felt like I couldn't hold it up and it felt like a bobble head,"
The defensive back suffered a fracture in his C5 vertebrae, leaving him to ask if he would still have a chance to suit up for his final season.
"That was one of the hardest questions I've ever had to answer in my life," Jaxson's father Cody Kidd said. "And I didn't want to dance around it. I didn't want to make him think things were going to be okay because it was pretty serious."
"When Jaxson asked, 'What's this mean? When can I go back out there?' I had to tell him, 'Buddy, it's more than just football right now," Cody Kidd continued.
It was Kidd's belief in something bigger than himself that served as an anchor in this stormy time in his young life.
"My faith has just helped me," Jaxson said. "I mean I could've gone off the deep end after this injury. My senior year didn't go the way I wanted it to. I could've just gave up, but I found comfort in my faith,"
Wednesday night, at Permian Basin FCA's Fields of Faith event in Midland, Kidd walked on the same field where he broke his neck.
This time without a helmet, but with a story to tell and a message to spread.
"If they are going through a hard time, I hope they don't rely on themselves," Jaxson said. "I hope that it inspires them to turn to God and not try to take it upon themselves to get through a trial or a rough time."
"Most people, when they are giving a speech, they start out small, but he went out there in front of a lot of people and did a great job," Cody said. "I hope it touched some people tonight."
Jaxson and Cody Kidd both credited how much the Midland community came together through this tough time in their life, and credits it for helping them get through the hard season.