Jordan Shipley is a medical marvel.
The ex-Longhorns star was discharged from the hospital over the weekend following weeks of treatment for severe burns, the result of a horrific accident at his Texas Ranch earlier this month.
“Because I know so many are praying, I wanted to let you know that we left the hospital,” Shipley’s wife, Sunny, wrote on social media on Jan. 17. “I still can’t believe it. Numerous doctors, nurses and specialists kept telling us, as we were being discharged, that he is nothing short of a miracle and they’ve never seen someone come in to their care in his condition and leave this soon….much less be out of the hospital bed.”
On Jan. 6, Jordan was working on a piece of machinery that caught fire, suffering burns that necessitated an airlift to the hospital. Two days later, Sunny posted that the 40-year-old former NFL wideout had undergone several surgeries and would need skin grafts on his hands, arms and legs.
Photos posted by Sunny and other family members showed Shipley in his hospital bed, seemingly covered head to toe in bandages.
“He’s still in a lot of pain, we have a hard and long journey ahead but you can guarantee he and I will carry it with joy and praise,” she wrote on Saturday. “We aren’t quite home yet, but will stay close the hospital as he has dressing changes and we will be monitoring his adjustment out of the hospital.
“The Dell Seton burn team, nurses and everyone we came in contact with there are special people that impacted us greatly. Please say a prayer for them and thank God for them, as they are dealing with heartbreaking cases all day everyday. We love you all deeply. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.”
Shipley was a two-time All-American while playing at Texas from 2006-09, posting 248 receptions for 3,191 yards and 33 touchdowns. He still holds a number of Longhorns records, including single-season catches (116) and reaching yards (1,485) set during the 2009 season.
A third-round pick of the Bengals in 2010, played three years in the NFL, making 118 catches for 858 receiving yards and four touchdowns over 24 games with Cincinnati, Tampa Bay and Jacksonville in a career hampered by a knee injury to forced him to miss all of 2011.
