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“I’m going to get back on that field.”
Wearing a “Better Everyday” T-shirt, Brian Ferris works out at Journey Forward as he battles back from a devastating spinal cord injury he suffered at home on Dec. 1, 2025. John Tlumacki/Globe Staff
May 9, 2026 | 6:04 PM
5 minutes to read
CANTON — Dressed in all black, sporting a “Better Everyday” T-shirt and Nike hat, Brian Ferris dropped to his knees and descended onto a bright blue mat Wednesday morning at Journey Forward in Canton.
With his mother, Maureen Ferris, to his right, and neuroexercise specialist Rowan Curtin to his left, he methodically crawled from one end of the path to the other as the clock struck 10 a.m. He moved his right knee and right hand forward, then his left hand and left knee followed. Each movement told a story, each square of the mat was earned, and each inch marked another small, but significant, hurdle cleared.
Less than six months ago, on Dec. 1, 2025, Ferris lay on the floor, paralyzed for six hours in his Taunton home, immobile after falling while preparing for a colonoscopy. He suffered a life-altering spinal cord injury that left him with minimal movement of his arms and legs.
The 51-year-old Ferris, a Coyle & Cassidy and Curry College graduate who teaches social studies at Edward J. O’Donoghue Middle School in Bridgewater, spent 10 days in the intensive care unit at Rhode Island Hospital, 86 days at Spaulding Rehabilitation in Charlestown, and is currently rehabbing in Plymouth and Canton.
Ferris, also a Bridgewater State men’s basketball assistant coach and highly respected field hockey, basketball, and lacrosse official, took his first steps in early February.
Now, when he goes to the ground, he can stand back up on his own.
“It’s not easy,” Ferris said. “It’s never going to be easy. But I’m going to fight it every single day. I’m not going to let it beat me.”
Improvement has been slow, but steady, as Brian Ferris rehabs with Journey Forward in Canton with the goal of returning to officiating. – John Tlumacki/Globe Staff
Dec. 1 started out like any other Monday morning for Maureen Ferris; she put her other son Eric’s children on the school bus. Then she got a call from Eric, who relayed that his brother had a serious accident at the house and had been whisked to Rhode Island.
Maureen, 76, had already lost her husband, longtime Taunton firefighter Paul Ferris, to cardiac arrest in January 2025. She watched her nephew, Steve Jacques, navigate throat cancer. It was difficult to fathom that yet another catastrophe had struck the family in such a short period.
“You never see it coming,” Maureen Ferris said. “Life is one day at a time. You might be here today, you might not be here tomorrow. We have learned that, so every day, we take it and we run with it. Dad is up in heaven watching over.”
Despite a series of tragedies for the family, Maureen Ferris (left) and her son, Brian, haven’t lost their sense of humor. – John Tlumacki/Globe Staff
Brian Ferris teared up as he thought back to that nightmarish day. As he lay there, helpless, Christmas music played on loop in the background. His mind raced as he wondered if he would be able to teach, referee, or play golf again.
His phone was in the living room, and he’s extremely grateful that his friend, John Ralli, who was coming to pick him up for the colonoscopy, heard him yell and found him. If he hadn’t, his journey could have unfolded differently.
“I could have died on that floor that night,” Ferris said.
A surgeon inserted two rods down his back, and a scar remains on his neck. Ferris joked that they could have at least stuck a camera in and completed the colonoscopy while he was unconscious.
He remained motionless in a hospital bed for two days until, little by little, feeling began returning. Taking two steps in each direction in February provided tangible reassurance that better days were ahead.
Maureen Ferris holds a photo she took on Dec. 1, 2025, of her son, Brian Ferris, after a fall at home caused a devastating spinal cord injury. – John Tlumacki/Globe Staff
As he began his rehabilitation at Spaulding, his physical therapist sensed he was discouraged. She reminded him that celebrating the little victories, rather than hyperfocusing on the big picture, would help make the end goal seem less daunting.
“I try to stack good days upon good days,” Ferris said. “When you stack four or five good days, good things are happening. I’m trying to be better today than I was yesterday. I want to be better tomorrow than I am today.”
Ferris is now capable of walking without assistance. He still uses a walker as needed, requires assistance at home, and leans heavily on his support system for meals, rides, and more. A GoFundMe page has raised more than $112,000 to support the family.
Gradually, he is making concrete progress. Ferris went to the putting green and remarked that somehow he’s improved. He builds with LEGOs to improve his fine-motor skills, is progressing through the stages of rehab, and is hoping to shoot a basketball soon.
“He’s fighting the fight, and he’s winning,” said his mother.
Neuroscience specialist Meghan Concannon (left) was one of Brian Ferris’s students at Bridgewater-Raynham and is now helping with his rehab, along with Rowan Curtis (right) at Journey Forward. – John Tlumacki/Globe Staff
One of his former students at Bridgewater-Raynham High, Meghan Concannon, is now one of his neuroscience specialists at Journey Forward.
Concannon said Ferris, who has worked in the district since 1999, was the teacher everyone wanted to hang out with because of his positivity. She takes pride in returning the favor in a full-circle moment that feels serendipitous.
“The second he came through these doors, he was ready to work hard,” Concannon said. “He just wants to get better every day. I see the same Mr. Ferris in here.”
Maureen Ferris noted that there have only been five days since the incident in which her son hasn’t had a visitor. As he lumbered down a steep staircase with 10-pound weights on each ankle, Ferris bantered that perhaps he isn’t as much of a jerk as he thought.
He knows his situation could be much worse and is grateful for the unwavering support.
In February, taking two steps was an accomplishment for Brian Ferris (left) who now trains on a set of stairs with Rowan Curtin. – John Tlumacki/Globe Staff
A standout basketball player at Curry — second team all-conference — Ferris attacks each day with vigor and relentlessness and is determined to one-up himself.
His men’s league teammate David St. Martin, the athletic director at Walpole High, called Ferris one of the most unselfish people he’s ever met.
“He will not let this define him,” said St. Martin. “You can count on that.”
Ferris, who officiated the Walpole vs. Reading girls’ lacrosse Division 2 state final last spring, has already attended multiple games this spring, including Walpole’s 18-9 win over Wellesley in April.
Bridgewater State’s Meredith Sylvia (Dartmouth) and Worcester State’s Mckayla Fisher (Peabody) escorted him to midfield in early April for an honorary draw. As grateful as he is for the gesture, he hopes this is just the beginning of a triumphant return.
“I’m going to get back on that field,” Ferris said. “I don’t know if it’s going to take six months. I don’t know if it’s going to take a year or two years. I’m going to fight the fight every day until I get back out there.”
Meghan Concannon works Brian Ferris through a coordination exercise that involves tossing a weighted ball back and forth. – John Tlumacki/Globe Staff
