Back in his hometown of Charlotte, Tensley Brandon played basketball in the AAU league and looked forward to accepting a scholarship offer from one of many colleges. But what happened two years ago changed everything, when he suffered a life-threatening car accident. It put him in the hospital for five months and left his loved ones in a state of shock, wondering about his outcome. The accident happened on a Saturday morning while Brandon was on his way to basketball practice. He remembers driving, then going off the side of the road. At first he was in a coma. Later in his recovery, he was able to communicate with visitors by waving his hand in the air. Friends, relatives and church members kept him in their prayers and updated everyone on his status. “Man that was nobody but the Lord,” said Yvonne Curry, who attends the same church. “Because of how serious the accident was some people were afraid that he might not survive.” He fought through it like a soldier and survived. But there in the hospital, his emotions started to kick in and left him feeling as if he wouldn’t be able to play basketball or do anything else he was used to doing on his own because of his leg amputation. While he was lying in the hospital, he had some time to think. “I’m just going to make the best of my situation because if God brought me this far he loves me and wants me to do my part by helping myself in my recovery,” said Brandon. With a strong faith in the Lord and plenty of determination, Brandon underwent a miraculous recovery. He began rehab, where the physical therapist wanted to him go from sitting in a wheelchair to using a straight leg walker to using a cane. Another rehab process he has been undergoing is a speech therapy. Before the therapy his speech was slurred and hard to understand. In July of 2000, he graduated from Independence High School in Charlotte and decided to accept a scholarship from N.C. A&T. He is now a freshman, and wants to major in print journalism. Here at A&T, he has some of his high school friends and some new friends. He doesn’t mind sharing his experiences with others. “Even though I can’t do a lot of things that I used to do, but I’m blessed to be able to continue my education and pursue a career,” he said. From the way Brandon described his determination, he has a big heart and believes that whatever setbacks you may have, minor or major, you can overcome them by faith, will and determination.