No Wheelchairs In Heaven

It has been said that in life there are two types of change: Change that you choose and change that chooses you. Yesterday, change chose us when John “Nellie” Nelson breathed his last breath here on earth.

For two decades, Nellie was an intimate part of PLU Football. Since 1989, EMAL players have come and gone, but each year Nellie chose to start anew with each incoming freshman class. This meant fostering an entirely new and unique set of relationships. At the same time, Nellie never forsook the relationships that he had previously established. On the contrary, he continued to nourish them, even from a distance. Eventually, he became a human bridge that will forever connect EMALs from ’89 – ’09 and beyond. This truth was evidenced by the full spectrum of EMAL classes represented at his 40th Birthday Bash a little more than four years ago.

Nellie’s friendships weren’t limited to the football team. He touched the lives of countless PLU students as well as distinguished members of the PLU staff and faculty. Parents and families of PLU players often hosted Nellie at their homes and invited him on family vacations. Nellie was a groomsman in more weddings than can be counted and put many a groom to shame with his moves on the dance floor.

We each have our own personal memories of Nellie that are undoubtedly filled with high sticks (high fives), encouraging words, inside jokes, rides on the back of his chair, dinners at the UC, lots of Pepsi, and a smile that is simply unforgettable. Nellie often joked about playing football in heaven and reportedly kept a list (known as the “Pummel List”) of players he wanted to tackle. It was always clear that he longed to be free of the confines of his wheelchair. The remarkable thing is that he never used his disability as an excuse; at least not for long. Even during the most difficult moments of his life, Nellie was able to find the strength in Christ to face each obstacle and live life with total release.

Many of you know that Nellie had a deep desire to inspire others with the details of his challenges and his ability to thrive despite overwhelming odds. The primary message he wanted to convey was one of hope, love, and strength in Christ. Nellie had a vision for folding all of this into an inspirational autobiography. Over dinner this past spring, we discussed plans for the possibility of writing this book together. Despite the circumstances, the plan is to continue with this project. To do this we will need help from each of you. Currently, we have a title (No Wheelchairs In Heaven), an introduction, and an outline. Our greatest need at this time is to add real life stories of your interactions with Nellie. We're looking for all kinds of stories and memories, big and small, from all time periods of Nellie’s life.

No matter what your association with PLU Football is, please consider posting your stories and memories about Nellie on this blog so that we can all share, learn from, and be inspired by them.


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While we didn’t chose the change that we are currently faced with, we can remember and honor John “Nellie” Nelson by sharing the power of his story with the world!

EMAL #54