Injured Cal and Jesuit athlete gets visit from actor Bill Murray during rehab
Cal Bears rugby player and former Jesuit High School student Robert Paylor got a visit from actor Bill Murray during his rehabilitation at Craig Hospital in Colorado.
Murray was visiting patients at the hospital when he stopped by to see Paylor, who suffered paralysis during the early stages of Cal’s Varsity Cup championship match May 6 against Arkansas State.
The actor joked around while Paylor smiled. At one point Murray placed a stethoscope on Paylor’s forehead.
Another video posted on a GoFundMe page for the injured athlete shows Paylor out sailing. Nearly three-quarters of a million dollars has been raised toward his rehabilitation.
In early June, Cal Rugby coach Jack Clark posted a statement about Paylor’s spinal cord injury. After the operation to stabilize his spine, Paylor battled pneumonia, high blood pressure and difficulty swallowing, Clark wrote on Facebook.
“Throughout this truly difficult period, Robert has been a champion, battling every day to restore his health in order to be cleared by doctors for the next stage of his rehabilitation,” Clark said.
On June 1, Paylor was transferred from a Santa Clara hospital by private medical airplane to the Craig Hospital in Englewood, Colo., a rehabilitation medical center that specializes in the neuro-rehabilitation and research of patients with spinal cord injury and traumatic brain injury.
“Throughout this injury, Robert’s faith has remained unbelievably strong,” Clark said. “He is a courageous individual with an elite work ethic. If anyone can make gains through rehabilitation, it will be Robert.”
Bill Lindelof: 916-321-1079, @Lindelofnews
This story was originally published July 19, 2017 at 11:21 AM with the headline "Injured Cal and Jesuit athlete gets visit from actor Bill Murray during rehab."