Brought to you by AT&T It Can Wait 

In many ways, Fletcher Cleaves was the embodiment of the American dream — a strong, hard-working kid from blue-collar Memphis who earned a starting football position on scholarship at Lambuth University.

But before his first game, soon after Lambuth announced him as a starter, a distracted driver drifted into Cleaves’ lane. All the football star saw was the driver’s face and the glow of the phone.

Cleaves’ life changed on Sept. 9, 2009. Once a vibrant teenager who had just graduated from Cordova High School and was looking forward to the rest of his successful youth, Cleaves now is paralyzed from the chest down.

His is an inspirational story — buoyed by a strong family, months of grueling physical therapy and an attitude of acceptance, Cleaves first learned to sit up in bed. He eventually learned to drive, and now, Cleaves has graduated from the University of Memphis and lives on his own.

But his collegiate football career, set for the same university at which Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze graduated, never materialized. And his life is forever changed, all because of one glance away from the road.

It’s a powerful story of the impact of such a seemingly-innocuous decision by that driver. It’s also a reminder to us that no text message, phone call or any other distraction is so big that it can’t wait until we’re safely off the road. His story is an illustration of AT&T’s “It Can Wait” campaign, which is serving as a great public service reminder to us all.

Brought to you by AT&T It Can Wait