Taliaferro has made incredible progress in his rehabilitation since his transfer to Magee on October 6.

A freshman cornerback, he was injured Sept. 23 in the Nittany Lions' game at Ohio State and initially was unable to move his hands, fingers, legs, feet and toes. During his three months at Magee, Adam has regained use of his extremities and is now able to walk using crutches without assistance from another person.

Taliaferro, who turned 19 on New Year's Day, left Magee with his parents, Andre and Addie, and younger brother, Alex and returned to their Vorhees, N.J., home, which is approximately 15 miles from Philadelphia. Adam will continue his rehabilitation at Magee on an out-patient basis for several hours each weekday starting on Monday, January 8. Adam had previously spent the Christmas and New Year's weekends at home to begin his transition as an out-patient.

"Today is a real happy day for me. I'm just happy to be going home. I want to thank everyone who has helped me walk again. I've still got a lot of work to do, but all the support around me got me through it," said Adam.

"We are indeed the recipient of divine intervention. The support from the university was nothing short of tremendous," said Andre. "As we had hoped, Adam is walking out of here. He has worked hard. He jumped rapidly from not walking to walking-a lot faster than we had anticipated," said Dr. William E. Staas, Jr., president and medical director of Magee.

"Adam is a unique individual, as is his family, and we are just so thankful that things are going his way," stated Nittany Lion coach Joe Paterno. "He is a courageous young man who has never lost faith during his recovery. We are very appreciative of the people at Magee for their physical and moral support for Adam and also appreciate the efforts of everyone at the Jefferson and Ohio State hospitals."

Following his injury, Taliaferro underwent decompression spinal fusion surgery Sept. 25 at the Ohio State University Hospital in Columbus. He was transferred to Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia on Sept. 27 and on Oct. 6 was moved to Magee Rehabilitation Hospital, which, with Jefferson Hospital, comprises the Regional Spinal Cord Injury Center of Delaware Valley.

The Adam Taliaferro Fund was established by Penn State soon after his devastating injury. The fund has been set up to assist the Taliaferro family with extraordinary medical expenses over and above those covered by insurance. Any money not required for Adam's long-term care will be transferred into an endowed scholarship in his name. More than $210,000 has been deposited in the fund, including nearly $33,000 contributed by fans at Penn State's October 21 football game vs. Illinois.