We are excited to announce that Chris Norton’s book “The Seven Longest Yards” will be available July 9, 2019 in bookstores. In the book, Chris and Emily Norton share their remarkable story.
About the book: For Chris & Emily Norton, walking across the stage at his college graduation seemed like an impossible goal. Injured in a college football game his freshman year, Chris Norton was given a three percent chance of moving anything below the neck again.
He trained relentlessly, singularly focused on walking across the graduation stage which led him to meeting his then-fiancé Emily. His triumphant 10 steps were seen around the world by more than 300 million people – but little did they know, that was the beginning – not the end – of Chris and Emily’s incredible journey.
Three years later, on April 21, 2018, Chris attempted another incredible feat – this time, perhaps the most important walk of his life – down the aisle with his wife, Emily. As with his graduation walk, Chris prepared relentlessly, spending four hours a day in the gym.
Together, Chris and Emily joyfully conquered the challenge – and walked seven yards after their wedding ceremony. Seven yards symbolized the seven-year anniversary of his injury. Their beautiful love story was exclusively covered by PEOPLE Magazine and captured the heart of the world, with media coverage from nearly all of the top-tier U.S. media outlets and international outlets in France, Germany, Italy and London. PEOPLE’s Instagram post about Chris & Emily’s wedding walk racked up 16.3 million views and was PEOPLE’s best performing Instagram post ever.
Notable celebrities including Terry Crews, Tim Tebow and Will Smith have been moved by Chris and Emily, sharing their inspiring wedding walk on their own social media channels.
Once again, their story did not end there, because Chris and Emily are no ordinary couple.
Married for less than a year, they have fostered 17 children and have adopted five daughters, including a sibling group of four sisters under 9 years old and a 19-year old, who Emily had mentored for many years. Chris and Emily are deeply committed to providing a safe, loving home for children in need.
In The Seven Longest Yards: Our Love Story of Pushing the Limits While Leaning on Each Other, Chris and Emily share their love story, including the challenges and struggles that cameras haven’t captured. For the first time, Emily opens up about her debilitating depression that began only a few weeks after Chris’s graduation walk. For two years, she sank deep into a battle against growing anxiety. But, just as Emily sacrificed to help Chris walk across stage at graduation, Chris was at Emily’s side – helping to lift her out of the depression that threatened their relationship and her very life.
The actual steps on their wedding day may well be the easiest part of their journey. The two have overcome the kind of adversity that causes many to lose hope. Chris and Emily turned to God for strength and realized that we all face adversity, but our circumstances don’t define us – we do. Life takes turns we are not always prepared for, but Chris and Emily show us that anything is possible through faith, commitment and the support of others.
For more information on Chris Norton, click here.