As former Texas Longhorns star Jordan Shipley remains in the hospital while recovering from an accident on his ranch that left him with severe burns covering his entire body, the wide receiver’s brother has shared a jarring photo from his bedside.
Jaxon Shipley took to Instagram on Thursday, January 8 to show his brother in his hospital bed, almost entirely obscured by a blanket as family and a nurse waited by his side.
Jaxon left a poem, titled “Man of Purpose,” in the caption that he wrote for his brother, explaining, “He is Superman to me. The definition of strength and integrity.”
The day before, Jordan’s wife, Sunny Leigh Shipley, took to Facebook to fill in friends and fans about his recovery ahead, saying her husband is “in a lot of pain.”
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“So they are keeping him sedated and comfortable,” she wrote. “At the moment they are taking another look at his burns and looking at his lungs again before they can remove his breathing tube.”
She continued, “The main concern at this moment are his hands, keeping infection away and his kidney function. We will take this day to day and I will try to update when I can because I know that there are so many that love Jordan. I know he’s got a long hard recovery ahead, but if anyone can do it.. he can. Please keep praying. We so covet them. We love you all.”
Sunny also wrote that, while the family isn’t entirely sure what happened, “it’s an absolute miracle” that Jordan, 40, survived the accident.
“His God given stubborn will, athletic ability and pain tolerance is why he is still here with us,” she wrote. “He was in the middle of nowhere and any other person would’ve gone into shock. He somehow made it to the only other person out there who was over 10 miles away.”
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Jordan’s sister, Shelby Nuñez, shared a photo via Facebook on Wednesday, showing his bandaged body, including his arm, which was in the Texas “Hook ‘em” formation.
“Please pray that the cells work overtime in healing under the surface — capillaries, nerves, etc.,” she wrote alongside the image. “Please pray for full thickness of skin (after a severe burn takes place, it can continue to burn through layers for days). Please pray against any infection. Please pray for full mobility in arms, legs, and both hands. He has said he needs to be able to play catch with his boys again one day.”
After his time with the Longhorns ended, Jordan played three seasons in the NFL before retiring in Texas to raise his family. He and Sunny married in 2011 and share two sons.
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The accident occurred on Tuesday, January 6 when a machine he was operating caught fire. He was able to free himself from the machine, but not before sustaining severe burns. Shipley was then airlifted to a hospital in Austin where he remains in critical but stable condition.
“Please pray for full healing and no infections or other issues on his road to recovery,” Jaxon wrote via Instagram on Tuesday. “I don’t want to get into all the details, other than his life was spared today by the grace of God and the sheer will to live. I believe prayer is effective so I’m asking anyone and everyone to lift Jordan up in prayer.”
Jordan’s father, Bob Shipley, added that his son would require several surgeries and that “the biggest threats at this point seem to be infections and pneumonia.”
