Recovery is going well for Luther football player Chris Norton

A Luther College football player is going shopping Wednesday at Apache Mall in Rochester.

Normally, this wouldn't qualify as a news story.  But when the football player is Chris Norton, who was seriously injured in a football game at Luther just over five weeks ago, it's a big headline.

Norton is still on a long road to recovery from a hit during that football game that threatened to paralyze him for life.  But the latest news is that his doctors say he is showing improvement every day, gaining strength in his arms and putting back some of the weight he had lost.

"I'm feeling really good right now," Norton told decorahnews.com.  Deb Norton, his mother, says the family is "very encouraged" by Chris' progress.

A big reason for that progress is Chris' determination.  He has tackled a schedule that calls for two hours each day of physical therapy, 1.5 hours each day of occupational therapy and half an hour each day of recreational therapy.  That's a "full day," admits his mother, but Chris has been giving it his all.

Monday: Chris Norton and his family describe what they're thankful for during the Thanksgiving holiday

Tuesday: The support of the Decorah and Luther College communities for the Nortons has been "overwhelming."