At 17 years old, Ronnie “Tre” Lawson’s life changed in seconds.
It was the summer of 2017, and Lawson was on his way home from a track meet in Macon, Georgia when the friend driving the car fell asleep at the wheel. The vehicle veered off the road and plunged into a 30-foot ravine. Lawson survived — but the crash left him with a brain injury, an incomplete spinal cord injury at the T12-L1 level, and loss of sensation from the waist down.
He was a teenager. Doctors gave him a prognosis that few people his age should ever have to hear.
The months that followed were brutal. Lawson has spoken openly about the mental health struggles he faced during that period — the uncertainty, the fear, the moments where he wasn’t sure he would make it through. He leaned on family, friends, and faith to keep going.
He was eventually transferred to the Shepherd Center in Atlanta, one of the country’s leading rehabilitation facilities for spinal cord injuries. There, therapists worked with him to rebuild basic functions, regain strength, and relearn how to move. Slowly, his condition improved beyond what doctors had initially expected. He progressed to standing. Then to walking short distances with assistance.
But Lawson wasn’t just focused on his body. He kept his mind on his future.
He enrolled at Fort Valley State University and graduated with honors in early childhood and special education. He then pursued graduate studies at Louisiana State University. In February 2021, he walked into a classroom — not as a patient, but as a teacher.
Today, Lawson teaches kindergarten and first grade students in special education at Southfield Elementary School in Macon. He describes the classroom as a central part of both his purpose and his ongoing recovery. The daily interaction with children, he says, gives him something to show up for every single day.
Earlier this year, he added another chapter to his story — literally. He published a book titled The Hurdle That Broke Me, which covers his life before and after the crash, including his injury, his mental health journey, and the long road back to himself.
And he is not done yet. Lawson has plans to open a school in Macon called Roll of Hope Academy, aimed at creating more educational opportunities for students in his hometown.
From a 30-foot ravine at 17, to a classroom, a published book, and a school of his own — Ronnie “Tre” Lawson is living proof that a prognosis is not a verdict.
