Paralyzed man determined to walk, stand on wedding day
HOUSTON -- A man was determined to walk and stand on his wedding day after a motorcycle accident left him paralyzed. Thanks to a physical therapist in Houston, Texas, his goal became a reality and more.
"(I just remember I) veered off the road hit a guardrail," said Brandon Johnson. "Then all of a sudden I was looking down in a hospital people around me."
Three years ago, Johnson thought his life was over but now those feelings are a thing of the past.
"I'm getting married," he said.
After a motorcycle accident left him paralyzed, Johnson said doctors initially told him he may never walk again.
"My heart sunk," he remembered.
Johnson didn't want to accept it as his fate so he started doing physical therapy at TIRR Memorial Hermann Hospital in The Woodlands.
"So the brace will actually hold his legs straight and there's a mechanism in the back when one leg moves the other one goes back," said Laura English, his physical therapist.
He was determined to walk on his own, stand and even continue his journey as a bodybuilder.
"I saw there's bodybuilding in wheelchairs I want to do it," he said.
Thanks to his trainer, Mike Smith, he's already doing pull ups wheelchair and all, but first on his list was his wedding.
"It takes every bit of your muscle to walk in a brace," he said.
It takes just as much strength to stand on his own two feet too. But finally after exchanging vows, he marries Mrs. Johnson. It was an emotional moment for everyone close to Brandon.
"That was the first time I saw my dad walk," said Madison Strickland, his young daughter.
Brandon is currently training for his bodybuilding competition in November. He hopes to inspire others along the way.
