Close Ad

Wife Trusts Her Gut And Insists On Medical Intervention That Saves Husband's Life
Untitled design (14)
Everyday Heroes

Wife Trusts Her Gut And Insists On Medical Intervention That Saves Husband's Life

Sometimes there are moments where everything can change, like when Michael Hooky Walker decided to go out for a quick motorcycle ride – and almost never came back.


A shocking accident

Walker had taken his Harley Davidson out for a 20-minute ride before a family dinner, and then he remembered nothing until he woke up a month later. He had been in a coma and had more than 50 fractures in his body.

What started as swerving to avoid lambs that were partially blocking the road ended with him being near death at a crash site.

“He did not look in a good way. If I hadn't heard him breathing, I [would have] thought he was already gone ... I didn't think there was any hope,”

- Jo Walker

Jo Walker, his wife, insisted a Westpac Rescue helicopter be called as because she didn’t think her husband would survive the 90-minute ambulance ride to Christchurch Hospital.

Awakening from a coma

“If Jo hadn't actually insisted on one of our friends calling the air ambulance then I wouldn't be here. They saved my life,” Hooky Walker said.

His injuries included brain bleeds, a shattered femur, broken shoulder, about 10 fractures in his back, broken ribs and a collapsed lung.

While in a month-long coma, Walker had a series of surgeries. He also twice suffered from sepsis infections.

“They (doctors) told Jo to go get family because they didn't expect me to make it. Every few days I was living hour to hour,” he said.

But Walker survived, and woke from the coma, and he instantly saw his father and sister, who had traveled from Ireland.

“When I saw my father he just teared up. I couldn’t talk, but I gave him the old universal eyebrow [raise] and then he started crying again.”

-Michael Hooky Walker

He also revealed the dreams he had had while in a coma. “They were absolutely horrific. I constantly felt like I was running away from people who wanted to have a piece of me.”

Walker was released just before Christmas and is now just trying to reclaim his life.

A new normal

“Now it's about trying to understand what normal looks like and adjusting my life to that.”

That means taking things one day at a time as he regains his strength.

“I've been kicked off the horse, so I have to get back on it. It's not in my nature to fold, but I'm really sensitive to what Jo would think if I rode out the gate again.

He's already come a long way and survived incredible odds. “There's no talk of taking a backwards step, it's all moving forward.”

Strength is a marathon, not a sprint

Many of us can relate to Walker on a smaller scale. We all face adversity and it can be hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

This story is also a reminder that life is unpredictable, but that sometimes, things turn out well in the most miraculous ways -- and through the help of loved ones.

More uplifting stories:

Hot Stories

Why Jennifer Hudson Forgave Her Mother's Killer -- Life Stories By Goalcast

At the peak of her career, Jennifer Hudson faced a horrific family tragedy. Hudson's mother and brother were brutally attacked in their family home, and her seven-year-old nephew was kidnapped. What followed was a heart-wrenching manhunt to rescue her nephew and seek justice against the man who took her family. Hudson speaks from the heart in this video on what happened to her family and how she was able to move forward.

Celebrities
ideas and thinking

bright ideas

The 21st century has brought great new opportunities for entrepreneurs. The digital revolution has completely changed the way we live -- and the landscape for aspiring CEOs and innovators.

powerful-business-woman

Keep ReadingShow less
Entrepreneurs
Lots of Dollar Bills

Save what you have to double what you make.

Everyone talks about money -- some because they don’t have enough, some wish to make more, and some are simply obsessed with it. It has always been this way, but nowadays, making money seems to be the main goal on everyone’s 'to do' list.

We’ve never had so many options when it comes to products, technology and services, and salesmen constantly try to convince us that we need them all to live a happier and easier life. But do we?

Keep ReadingShow less
Authors