Paralyzed two years ago, Tyler Russell is now walking.
The following article was originally posted on Courier Record website.
HE CREDITS HIS PROGRESS TO PRAYER & PERSISTENCE
Two years ago in August, Tyler Russell was driving to his job in Prince George County at Lowe’s.
It was around 7:30 a.m., and he was speeding a bit (Who doesn’t speed to work?) and distracted, the next thing he knew he was in the median and hit a culvert head-on. His car rolled over four or five times, and the gentleman in the car behind him later said that ‘whoever is in that car was definitely dead.
But Tyler, at 24-years-old, was alive. He was shaken, not in pain, but he couldn’t feel his legs. When paramedics pulled him out of the car, he was in agony; they drove him to the airport, and he was medevaced to Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond.
Diagnosis: Major spinal injury, his L2 vertebrae was broken. He had surgery immediately and spent a week in the hospital, eventually returning home to Blackstone to live with his grandparents Louise (77-years-old) and Wayne Russell (81-years-old).
Tyler was now confined to a wheelchair. Someone at the hospital had mentioned that a third of the people with this injury walk again within a year, and he made up his mind to be in that group.
What followed was months of therapy in Richmond for strengthening, flexibility, and balance. Tyler passed his time with video games, painting, and spending time with family and friends. He had been a student at Nottoway High and received a degree from Southside Virginia Community College in General Studies; then, there was the accident.
He admitted over the coming months he “almost gave up a thousand times.”
Last December, Tyler noticed he had more feeling in his legs. He was starting to take small steps after all the work in harnesses and with machines, and in June he began standing on his tiptoes. He is now walking on his own with light plastic braces; sometimes he uses a walker.
When asked how all this had changed him, he said, “I would like to think I am more grateful and self-aware, and I learned never to give up.”
Every day is a blessing, his grandmother Louise added. “And the power of prayer is how we got here. And the wonderful community of family, friends, and churches who never gave up on him.”
Tyler’s advice to others is to believe in the power of community. “The last two years have been challenging and difficult, but it makes it more satisfying now that I’ve overcome it.”
He now has his whole life again in front of him. He will have one more surgery on his foot in a month or two.
Meanwhile, his wheelchair will be gathering dust. Tyler, who is a sandy-haired pensive young man with a quick dry wit, would like to be a journalist or painter one day – and find a fulfilling job – and he may even go back to school.
The kindness of the community to Tyler and his family during this ordeal is a reflection of who we are. Let’s continue to cheer him on as he recovers.
And remember: This is truly an affirmation of one’s faith.
