BALTIMORE — Before the game, as usual, River Hill girls soccer coach Brian Song worked his way to midfield to greet the day’s rival.
His steps were measured, showing a slight limp, and he briefly winced on the way.
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In past years — he has spent 21 seasons at the Clarksville school — the pregame coach meeting had been routine.
But this year, just getting there is more of a miracle for the 64-year-old coach, who has fought back from a crippling spinal cord infection that had doctors worried he might never walk again.
That was more than two years ago, on April 1, 2024, when he had the first of several surgeries. Hundreds of grueling hours of rehabilitation followed, teamed with selfless support from family and friends and his unwavering faith.
Song shared testimony of his challenge at church, stating: “When I pray to the Lord, I never say ‘Why me?’ I just say, ‘You know what, there’s a purpose. God has created everybody, and we all have a purpose in life.’ And I said, ‘I’m going to battle through this, and I’m going to witness to others: If I can do it, so can you.'”
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In 2024, Song experienced persistent back pain and then lost strength in his legs, reaching a point where he couldn’t get out of bed on that first day of April.
At Howard County General Hospital, an infection was discovered that spread up and down his spinal cord, typically caused by bacteria traveling through the bloodstream from other parts of the body.
That morning, Song had surgery to scrape off the infected areas, and then a second procedure came two days later. While recovering in the hospital, a setback came when tests showed he needed thoracic surgery inside his chest cavity.
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Song’s family members — his wife, Linda, and grown daughters, Nicole, Amy and Kellie — were told he might spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair.
“My family said, ‘Dad, it’s OK. Whatever happens, happens, and we’re here whether you’re in a wheelchair or whatever,'” he said. “I told them, ‘If there’s any way possible, I’m going to make a difference. It’s up to me.’ And I got such great help from my family and friends.”
Song, an Ellicott City resident, has steadfastly made the difference.
Feet firmly planted with arms folded on the sideline, Song was observing his team before a scrimmage in August, sporting a River Hill light blue T-shirt that on the back read: “A Great Pleasure in Life is Doing What People Say You Cannot Do.”
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Indeed, the road back has been his biggest challenge to date.
His passion for coaching the Hawks alongside his daughters, assistants Amy and Kellie, has been a motivating force. He has won 295 games and guided the team to nine state championships, more than any other public school coach in Maryland.
For Song, there was no doubt he would coach in the 2024 season, having to do so in a wheelchair.
Last year, he used a walker.
And now, he’s back walking the sidelines.
While his legs still have numbness — he considers himself at 70% strength — he continues rigorous rehabilitation. A cane serves as a security blanket that mostly stays in his car.
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For Kellie, it was shocking to see her extremely fit, Superman-like dad suddenly struggling two years ago. To watch him put in the daily work to rally has been an inspiration.
“People will ask, ‘How’s your dad doing?’ And when I say, ‘Oh, he’s on his feet, running around some.’ They’re like: ‘What?'” she said. “It’s amazing. It’s like there’s literally no obstacles he’s not willing to tackle. For him, it’s always, ‘What’s next to do to get better?'”
Discipline and preparation have long been two of the biggest strengths for Song’s teams.
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Both have been vital in his recovery. Every day, he wakes up sore and stiff, but he soldiers on and does extra in his bid to return to full speed.
Katie French, a physical therapist at the University of Maryland Rehabilitation and Orthopaedic Institute, started working with him shortly after the surgeries.
Looking back on the first time he tried to walk, she vividly recalls how Song had to use all his upper body strength holding on to the walker while his legs dangled.
By attacking his rehab sessions and all the exercise suggestions French encouraged him to do at home, steady progress came. Soon enough, every morning, he would walk at the school’s track or swim or hit the treadmill at the gym.
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“He’s an extremely motivated individual, and nothing was going to stand in his way of getting back to what he loves to do,” French said.
Day after day, Song told himself he had to make it through with the painful grind, also a blessing. He praised French and the other physical therapists he worked with for their help.
“All the effort they put into me, they really pushed me because at a certain point they knew I was able to handle it,” he said.
More recently, French got a pleasant surprise.
“I didn’t see him for a few months, and he appeared at the door, and I had to do a double take because he looks like a completely normal human being,” she said. “You would never be able to tell what happened to him.”
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While Song isn’t running around with the girls at practice like he once did, he has brought a new kind of inspiration to them all.
Like their coach, this year’s Hawks got better and better every day, closing the regular season with three straight shutout wins to take an 8-3 record into the upcoming Class 2A West region playoffs.
“His energy level never wavered, and he never failed to bring structure and motivation to all our practices and games even though he was in a very difficult situation himself,” said Emily Ma, a senior captain. “Seeing him get better has really inspired me as well as the rest of our team because I definitely have been thinking when I’ve had it hard, I know he definitely had it harder. It makes me want to work harder and help him see an outcome in all the effort he has put into us.”
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Over and over, Song counts his blessings.
His family and friends. His faith. The doctors, nurses and physical therapists who cared for him. The River Hill community, including all his past and present players.
And then there’s soccer. He coached all three of his daughters at River Hill, and all three were part of state championship teams.
“To know everything he went through and all the work he put in to get back on the field … it’s amazing to see what a passion for something can do to motivate you to get you back there. He just loves the sport. It’s just a part of him,” Amy said. “Yes, there’s family and his faith, that’s probably the majority. But there’s definitely a big role that soccer played in bringing him back to believing he can do things that he used to do. … It just took some time to get there.”
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On the day he made the march to the middle of the field, it was Mt. Hebron coach Bob Gibbons there to greet him. The two men shook hands, talked, and a respectful pat on the back came from Gibbons.
“Amazing,” Gibbons said. “But not unexpected. It’s like 100%, you just knew that he’d be back.”
