Glendale High senior, long reliant on a wheelchair, intends to walk at graduation

Collin Langston set an almost unimaginable goal at the start of his freshman year at Glendale High School: to walk at graduation.

At that point, he had relied on a wheelchair his entire life. He had never put his feet flat on the ground, shifted his weight onto his legs and taken a step on his own.

So much has changed in four years.

Collin will not only graduate from high school with academic honors Saturday, he intends to cross the stage at the Great Southern Bank Arena on his own two feet.

"It shows how I have evolved," Collin said. "Before my surgeries, I didn't think it was a possibility but now that I have built up my strength, I have the ability to do that."

The 18-year-old was born with a congenital disorder, arthrogryposis, which causes joints to contract throughout his body. It is usually caused by decreased movement in the womb, causing extra connective tissue to develop and fix joints in place.

He attended Hickory Hills Elementary and Middle School with the assistance of a full-time nurse, Nikki Dugger, but by the end of eighth grade, the way his legs were bent made it uncomfortable to sit in a wheelchair.

Seeking relief for their son, Chris and Sarah Langston decided to ask for help from a specialist based in Florida who was highly recommended by others with the same disorder.

"We decided to go see him basically to see if he could help us get Collin in a better position," Sarah recalled of the summer 2019 trip. "Then he throws out this 'I think I can get him to walk,' and we were like 'What are you talking about?'"

Once the surprise wore off, Collin and his parents investigated what was involved in the surgeries to straighten and strengthen his legs. They decided to move forward.

In August 2019, Collin started his freshman year at Glendale. Two months later, his family left for Florida, where they stayed until January 2020.

His classmates launched a campaign to raise money for the trip by selling "Candy for Collin."

"I have been in the chair my whole life," Collin told the News-Leader in October 2019. "It would be kind of cool to actually be able to walk."

The surgeries, first on the right leg and then the left, involved breaking Collin's legs, shortening each femur by three inches, and pinning the bones to heal. Each leg also received a "super knee" implant.

"They were pretty challenging," Collin recalled of the surgeries.

He kept up with high school courses by accessing services available to students who are "homebound" for medical or other reasons.

Back in Springfield, Collin planned to return to classes in person after spring break in March 2020 but the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the schools.

Dugger, who has worked with Collin since he was a toddler, said his ability to learn at home through the end of his freshman year and all of his sophomore year was a blessing. His physical therapy was extensive.

"It actually gave us a lot of time to build up strength," she said.

Collin was able to intersperse stretching and exercise throughout the day, between school assignments, until he was strong enough to try walking.

"We started out with little tiny things, just one step. There were tears happening. It was just scary," Dugger recalled. "He had all sorts of nerve feelings and he didn't know what the feelings were."

Collin used a custom walker and was eventually walking short distances while rolling or holding a ball. He now uses a forearm crutch.

"It used to take us 20 minutes to get from the front door to end of the driveway," Dugger said. "Now in 10 minutes we can go two driveways down and back. It has been such a progression."

Collin is at the point he only relies on a wheelchair to go longer distances. At home, he navigates rooms by foot and is able to take care of himself, make a snack, and clean his room.

The teenager has met or exceeded all the goals set for him in physical therapy. He still needs help with certain tasks because of height and limited range of motion in his arms and hands.

"He doesn't let things stop him and what we see that he can't do, we scoop in and help," Dugger said. "But he has become so independent. He is doing his own laundry. He just can't reach the button so we push the button."

She added: "His life has improved a lot."

Collin agreed. At the start of his junior year, he was able to return to Glendale. He took classes alongside peers and was active in National Honor Society and part of the yearbook staff.

"He types with two fingers and still gets As," Dugger said.

Collin, who is active on social media, has a girlfriend. In February, they attended Night to Shine, a prom for students with special needs.

He completed the final credits needed for a diploma in the fall but will graduate with his peers Saturday. He earned a 4.6 GPA, on a weighted 5.0 scale.

"Walking across the stage is the full-circle moment of it all," said Sarah, his mother. "I am so proud of him."

Part of the Class of 2023 got a preview in early April when Glendale baseball coach Tyler Goss invited Collin — whom he has known for several years — to throw out the first pitch on senior night.

"I got out of my chair and walked out on the field," recalled Collin, who tossed the baseball to senior Carter Lewis, a classmate since Hickory Hills. "It was nice. It was kind of cool, humbling."

This summer, the Langstons are planning a cross-country senior trip that will include a stop at Disneyland so Collin can go on rides that were not possible in the past.

He will study film and TV production at Missouri State University starting this fall. He wants to be a film editor. He will live at home during college but eventually wants a place of his own.

Glendale Principal Josh Groves said despite the pandemic keeping Collin home for part of his freshman and his sophomore year, he made his presence known once he returned.

"Collin is really outgoing. Everybody in the building knew who he was. He was very kind and was an excellent student academically," Groves said. "He worked really hard and he is also very intelligent."

Groves predicted Collin's ability to walk at graduation will be a highlight of the ceremony.

"I feel like it is a miracle, honestly, but it's not because of how hard he worked at his recovery and just persevered through all of the things he had to go through to get to a place where he could do that," Groves said. "It is definitely super uplifting to our students and our staff. I think his classmates are going to be really excited to see that happen."

SPS graduation schedule

Springfield Public Schools will hold graduation ceremonies for all five traditional high schools Saturday at the Great Southern Bank Arena on the campus of Missouri State University. Here are the times:

• Central High − 9 a.m.

• Glendale High − 11:30 a.m.

• Hillcrest High − 2 p.m.

• Parkview High − 4:30 p.m.

• Kickapoo High − 7 p.m.

Claudette Riley covers education for the News-Leader. Email tips and story ideas to criley@news-leader.com.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: SPS senior, long reliant on wheelchair, plans to walk at graduation