TOUCHING: American mother receives honorary degree for attending his paralyzed son’s classes

Judy O’Conor a retired elementary school teacher was on Wednesday surprised with an honorary degree for standing by her quadriplegic son at Chapman University for 2 years.

At 24 years(2012), Martyr O’Conor’s athletic life was ripped in the bud when he fell off flight stairs a condition that paralyzed his 4 limbs (quadriplegia). Life came to a standstill as Martyr attended his physical therapy. With a strong determination, he redefined his fate and decided to apply for a Masters in Business Administration.

”After a certain point I realized that physical therapy wasn’t going to be the end all answer,”( Marty O’Connor told ABC News.)

“I was ready to take on another mental challenge but I didn’t know how going back to school without being able to write, or use my hands, or raise my hand in class, any of that, would go,”

While at campus, Martyr’s mother has been taking his notes, raising the hand for him to answer, writing tests and exams. Martyr uses an ipad, laptop and voice recognition soft wares and a mouth stick to communicate.

“I did it willingly,When a spinal cord injury happens, you want to swoop in and make everything better and you can’t.This was something that I could do for my son and I was really happy that I was able to help him in that way.”  said Judy

Martyr made an official nomination for his mother to receive an honorary MBA while in a meeting with the Chapman University president Daniele Struppa in recognition of his achievements. This was to be executed secretly and Jude had no idea she’d receive this at the graduation ceremony.

“I was so touched that my son would do that,” she said. “It was therapeutic for me to do what I did.” Said Judy who after the mention of her honorary achievement stood shocked behind her son’s wheel chair until a school official pulled her to the front to hand over her award.

We really formed such a great bond,” Marty O’Connor said. “I learned to be patient, more thoughtful and to ask for help, We were able to accomplish so much more together than if I had just tried to muscle through it on my own. We were just able to do some great things together.” Said Martyr who is already employed as the head of corporate sponsorships at DIVERTcity a youth action sports startup.  He is still working out the logistics but plans to have a professional assistant help him in his new career however his mum will continue acting as his primary acre giver.

abcnews.go.com