Former UGA baseball player who was paralyzed in crash dances at his wedding

TIFTON, Ga. — As Celine Dion’s voice filled a Georgia reception hall, Chance Veazey mustered up the strength with the support of his friends to show the power of his wife Molly’s love and show living proof of the song’s title, “Because You Loved Me.”

Veazey, a former UGA baseball player, has been paralyzed from the waist down since a motor scooter crash 10 years ago. On his wedding day Saturday, the Tifton, Georgia, native was determined to fulfill the seminal first dance with his newly wedded wife.

His aunt, Maria Cottle, shared the video on YouTube and Facebook of Veazey surprising his parents and the wedding guests by dancing with his wife. A couple of his friends helped lift him up as Molly Veazey gently laid her head on his chest.

“Chance and Molly surprised everyone when a few of Chance’s best friends helped him stand for the first dance with his new bride,” Cottle wrote on Facebook. “Molly and Chance shared the special moment with his mom, Darby Veazey. It was a very emotional moment for everyone! I would love for everyone to see the special love that they share!”

Cottle further explained that the first dance and the matrimony were particularly special because it was a “second chance” for the couple. The two were together when his life-changing accident happened while they were both freshmen at UGA. During recovery and physical therapy, Molly Veazey was right by her boyfriend’s side as “his rock.” However, the couple later broke up. Six years later, they rekindled the romance.

“They gave their love a #SecondChance and were married this past weekend,” Cottle wrote in her post. “...It was a very emotional moment for everyone!”

Veazey, who was a freshman second baseman, spent two months at the Shepherd Center after his accident. In an interview with the Red and Black in 2017, he said he had learned to navigate life in a wheelchair. It was the help of the rehab center and his UGA family that pushed him, he said at the time.

On Facebook, Veazey simply posted the video with the caption “Dream Come True.”

This report was written by Stephanie Toone, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

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