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PALMYRA, Mo. — The shock of what happened shook Raeson Miller to his core.
Miller, a senior fullback and linebacker on the Palmyra football team, was on the field on Sept. 12, 2025, when senior running back and defensive back JT Thomas suffered a spinal cord injury while tackling a Macon player. Thomas was taken to University Hospital in Columbia, Mo., and the injury left him paralyzed from the neck down.
“After it happened, I went over by myself and slammed my helmet down,” Miller said. “The whole situation just kind of derailed me.”
Play resumed, and shortly thereafter, Palmyra coach Justin Hutchings called a timeout. The Palmyra players, many of whom were in tears, gathered around Hutchings.
“I looked at all the guys, and I said, ‘Hey, no one’s going to be mad at you if you don’t want to continue,’” Hutchings said.
When Hutchings asked his players if they wanted to finish the game, the response was unanimous.
Unanimous among those who could muster an answer, that is.
“I didn’t answer because I was still in shock,” Miller said. “I was thinking about it so much.”
After Miller heard his teammates respond resoundingly, he knew what had to happen.
“To be honest, I just wanted to decompress, but when I heard my whole team wanting to keep playing, it motivated me to keep playing,” Miller said. “I knew it was the right decision.”
From that moment forward, the Panthers had their why.
Through multiple surgeries, countless therapy sessions and various speed bumps along the way during seven months spent at multiple hospitals and rehabilitation facilities, Thomas had his why.
“I stayed positive because my community and my friends would come over every day,” Thomas said. “They keep my spirits up, and my family.”
It did not take long for that support to show up in droves.
“We went (to the hospital) immediately after the game, and there were kids with face paint and body paint on sitting in the waiting room,” Hutchings said. “Everybody wanted to see him.”
That never changed, whether Thomas was in Columbia or in St. Louis.
“It was a staple in my schedule,” Palmyra junior running back Wyatt Augspurg said. “Every Sunday — and Saturday if I wasn’t doing anything, too — we’d get a group of us and go and spend time with him all day. The first time that we went down there, we were a little bit scared and worried, but just talking and messing with him like it was before uplifted everybody.”
‘He can light up the whole room’
The support has never wavered. Thomas returned to Palmyra on April 2 to streets lined with his biggest fans welcoming him home.
“It was crazy,” Thomas said. “I kind of anticipated it because all the cops were at the high school. We drove past the high school, and I was like, ‘Hmm, what’s going on?’ Then they turned on their lights and started leading us, and I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, it’s packed.’ It was a great feeling that the community could do that for me.”
Thomas gets regular visits at his home from his teammates, coaches and members of the community.
“Each one of us counts,” junior wide receiver Pierce White said. “If one of us can’t make it to see him, there’s always another person that goes and sees him. That makes his day. He just wants to see people. All of us having his back definitely helps.”
Thomas concurred.
“It means a lot,” Thomas said. “They’re still showing up and treating me the same way. They’ve been coming around, keeping my spirits up and making me laugh.”
Nothing about Thomas’ attitude or sense of humor has changed, either. If anything, Miller has noticed an uptick in wisecracks sent his way when he comes over.
“Honestly, he might be even more of a jokester than he was before,” Miller said. “Every time I come over, he’s always got a joke for me, about me or anything.”
Thomas’ friends are not afraid to fire back.
“He’s got a big mouth,” Augsprug said, at which point Thomas, seated in his wheelchair with his back to Augspurg, flipped his head around and smirked in Augspurg’s direction. “He’s always got jokes. He likes to think he’s quiet and doesn’t say anything, but it doesn’t matter who you are. He’s always going to mess with you and probably make fun of you in some way.”
Thomas nodded in agreement.
“It doesn’t hurt to give everybody a joke every now and then and make fun of somebody,” Thomas said. “I don’t mean any harm, it’s just for fun.”
Daxten Schlueter, who played safety for the Panthers alongside Thomas, takes whatever comeback or friendly insult Thomas might throw his way for what they are — Thomas’ way of letting his friends know he is the same old JT.
“He can light up the whole room,” Schlueter said. “He’ll make us laugh, he’ll laugh. It’s no different than it was before.”
‘I’ll keep painting’
In addition to his sense of humor and firecracker of a personality, Thomas has found another way to shine a beam of light — through art. Early in his time at Ranken Jordan Pediatric Bridge Hospital, Thomas began mouth painting, holding brushes with his teeth and using his neck and jaw muscles to paint.
“My second week at Ranken Jordan, they took me down to the art room and we did some grid paintings where I would pick a number and the art teacher would paint it,” Thomas said. “She was like, ‘Do you want to paint with your mouth?’ At first, I said, ‘No,’ then I was like, ‘Let’s give it a try.’ The first try wasn’t too bad, then I got the hang of it.”
White was not so lucky on his attempt.
“I tried with him one time, and I’m not very good,” White said.
Thomas has found a real knack for it, so much so that from May through September, visitors to the Saint Louis Art Museum will get a firsthand look at Thomas’ newfound talent, as his work will be featured in a youth exhibition.
“It’s going to be awesome,” Thomas said. “I’ve only been painting with my mouth for so long, and to be in an art museum this early is pretty great.”
Thomas does not plan to stop anytime soon.
“I’ll keep painting,” Thomas said. “I want to start an Instagram account where people can see and buy my paintings. I’ll definitely keep going.”
Not that he needed any motivation to continue painting, but a trip back to Columbia last week left no doubt in his mind that he should stick with it.
“I came out of the hospital, and a girl came up to me and said, ‘Are you that football player that paints?’” Thomas said. “I was like, ‘Yeah.’”
Thomas could not help but smile.
“It was like, ‘Oh, you know me?’” Thomas said. “I chatted with her a little bit and talked about some paintings. She was interested in seeing my paintings and knowing it was me.”
Thomas’ story has reached audiences far and wide. He has been featured in Sports Illustrated and on the March 13 episode of CNN 10, a 10-minute daily news show suited for consumption while on the go or in classrooms. The CNN 10 YouTube channel has more than 1 million subscribers, and the episode that features Thomas has more than 100,000 views.
“Ever since I’ve been in high school, we’ve always watched CNN 10,” Thomas said. “We’ve always tried to get on there because the shoutouts are cool. For them to shout us out and do a little video was great.”
Thomas will get another shoutout on May 14 when he crosses the stage along with his fellow senior classmates at graduation.
“It’s going to be a lot, but I’ll just have to take it in because now it’s over,” Thomas said. “It’s going to be a little overstimulating because I haven’t been around that many people yet since I’ve been home. It’ll be a lot different. It’s going to be very crazy.”
After graduation, Thomas will take online classes in pursuit of an agribusiness management degree from the University of Missouri.
‘He’s been a blessing to me’
And when football season comes around, the Panther faithful can expect to see No. 4 on the sideline.
“I want him there on Friday nights with me at home games,” Hutchings said. “I want him around as much as possible.”
Thomas does not just want to be there. He wants to be as involved as he can.
“Hopefully (Hutchings) gives me a headset,” Thomas said. “That’ll be a great time to hear what they’re talking about.”
Hutchings fears what Thomas might hear.
“He’s going to hear some things,” Hutchings said.
Panthers offensive and defensive line coach Nick Powell fears what Thomas might say.
“I might have to mute him,” Powell said. “He might have too much of an opinion. I don’t know if we can have that.”
Thomas retorted in true JT fashion.
“You always need an opinion,” he said.
Powell course corrected.
“We always need JT’s opinion,” he said.
His opinion, his bright smile, his signature smirk — they are all welcome.
“From the day he woke up after the injury, he’s been in good spirits, not only for himself, but he does it for us, too, because he knows that if he’s in bad spirits, then we’re not going to be happy either,” Schlueter said. “He’s been very strong.”
That strength has rubbed off on anyone in his orbit, one with a strong gravitational pull.
“He’s just a ball of sunshine for everybody,” Powell said.
The concern and fear felt on that Friday night last September have given way to strength and comfort.
“He’s been a blessing to me, showing me how I should stay positive and how there is always an alternative to things,” Miller said.
Welcome home, JT.
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