Walker Carroll: My doctor, trauma surgeon, he told me later, This, what happened, was statistically, so not luck, and biologically impossible.

Dr. Brandon Crawford: Who were you before all of this started?

Walker Carroll: I moved to JV1 as a freshman, and I did really well. I won a lot of races, and I won the state championship. I won the state champion title.

I could say, "I have a comfortable path to going professional."

Dr. Brandon Crawford: So let's go back to February 6th.

Walker Carroll: We were riding,

it was only gonna be, like, an hour ride. Just an easy hour ride. We were gonna go slow just to get the legs fresh for the next day. And, um, that, that ride really changed my life.

Dr. Brandon Crawford: so you were hit from behind.

Walker Carroll: From behind.

Dr. Brandon Crawford: He was going about 70 miles an hour.

Walker Carroll: Yeah, a little over 70 miles an hour.

Dr. Brandon Crawford: And you were thrown, what, 113

Walker Carroll: 113 feet, I landed in tall grass, which was a miracle that I didn't land on the road.

My friend Logan told me later, he said, "All that was left on you was one small piece of fabric around your neck, like, hanging like a cape and then your shorts was all that was left," because everything else had been torn off.

He said when he found me in the tall grass, I was pulling my legs up to my chest and screaming, and my eyes were rolled back in my head.

Dr. Brandon Crawford: So what all injuries were sustained?

Brain injury.

Walker Carroll: Brain injury.

Three spinal fractures.

punctured lung.

lacerated kidney.

Fractured hip. broken fibula.

A lot of broken ribs.

Ribs.

Mm-hmm. A lot of broken ribs.

Dr. Brandon Crawford: What'd the driver do that hit you?

Walker Carroll: It was a hit-and-run, he sped off and went home and hid his truck.

You know, I can't cycle anymore, at the moment,

due to the brain injury.

That was what my days revolved around.

That's what I loved the most.

I could think about this as the worst thing that ever happened to me, as this ruined my life, this ruined my opportunities, or I could look at it as one of the greatest, most beautiful experiences that I've had.

Dr. Brandon Crawford: Let's say that that individual that hit you that day,

they were in front of you. What would you wanna say to them?

Walker Carroll: There's a lot of things I wanna say that wouldn't be, I think, the right thing to say.

I've thought about this a lot, and one thing that sticks out to me…

Dr. Brandon Crawford: Hey, everyone. Welcome back to the Longevity Formula. I'm your host, Dr. Brannon Crawford. So let me set the stage. Imagine you're 16 years old, top of your game. You're a competitive cyclist. Life is good. You're out one morning, you're riding, you're training with your best friend, and then all of a sudden, you're struck from behind by a car going about 70 miles an hour.

You're thrown over 100 feet. Life has changed dramatically. That's a story that belongs to Walker Carroll, and that's who we're talking to today. So Walker, thank you so much for joining us.

Walker Carroll: Thanks for inviting me.

Dr. Brandon Crawford: Absolutely, man. So we're gonna get into that story. However, I want to get to know you before this happened first.

So tell me, who were you before all of this started?

Walker Carroll: Yeah, I think it's a really good question. I think that really who I was, I was focused, you know, every day my day revolved around training. Mm-hmm. Right? I'd go out, you know, between an hour and a half and, and four hours, you know, and just, and just train every day.

And that's wh- that's what my day revolved around. I woke up thinking about it, I went to bed thinking about it. And you know, like you said, that all changed in an instant.

Dr. Brandon Crawford: Yeah. So just so we can understand the level, the degree of competitiveness, like, it's not like you were just out riding your bike here and there.

I mean, walk me through, like, some accomplishments and some things that you've achieved over your career.

Walker Carroll: Yes, sir. So, when I was a freshman... So, the, the NICA League works through high schools and the one in Texas has gotten to be pretty large. And so, you know, I was working my way up in that, and I was, was freshman, which usually they have a freshman category.

They get people to do JV2, and then JV1's, like, you know, just kind of the next level up, that you'd race the next couple years or... 'Cause varsity category in, in NICA is typically reserved for seniors or if you're ex- exceptionally fast. But, you know, I wanted to move up. I had moved up the last year for- to another category, to the one up above my age, because you know, I just felt like I needed some more competition.

Mm-hmm. And I did the same thing this year. I moved to JV1 as a freshman, and I did really well. I won a lot of races, and I won the state championship. I won the state champion title. On the road scene, I was... I just started really getting into the road scene. I did, uh... The one big road race I did was the Texas State Championship road race.

I raced one of the lower categories, and I got second. So those are some pretty big achievements from that year I was super happy with.

Dr. Brandon Crawford: Yeah. And then I don't remember the details, but y'all were telling us during one of your procedures I think it was in the Palo Duro Canyon-

Walker Carroll: Yes,

Dr. Brandon Crawford: sir. Yes, sir

right? You were telling me a story about that. It was, like, midnight and pitch black, and it... Just relive that for me. Tell me a little bit. Yeah, yeah. So- That was a really cool race ...

Walker Carroll: yeah, 24 Hours in the Canyon's a big race that people compete nationally. And it's, you know, it's a race. We had, we had four riders who- It was my- myself and, and, you know, three friends that were really close, and yeah, it was just a relay all night.

You know, all day, all night, 24 hours. The, the night before, it was like a midnight race they had, kind of a, like getting you excited for it, right? Mm-hmm. Uh, and it was the hill climb. So Palo Duro's super, super far down, and they have a hill that climbs all the way out of it, and it's, uh, it's a really challenging hill.

They have a race up it, right? And that was really exciting for me. And so we went and did that, and I won that race up the hill and won, like, $200, and I was so hyped. I was like- ... "This is awesome."

Dr. Brandon Crawford: Yeah, I remember saying I, I wouldn't do that for $200. But- But it's more than the money. It's, it's really cool. But didn't you tell me that at the beginning of that race, like, you were having trouble getting your foot in or something and, Yeah

and something because of that, like, made you push harder or- Yeah,

Walker Carroll: yeah ... I don't remember. So I, uh, I missed my clip you know, the pedals that you clip into. I missed that, and they started... 'cause it has, like, a van lead out, and they start... I was like, "Oh, no, I'm, I'm losing it." So I sprinted to catch up, and, um, I ended up setting up, like, a bunch of power PRs.

Mm-hmm. So I was super happy with that.

Dr. Brandon Crawford: So explain what a power PR is.

Walker Carroll: So on the bike, uh, you know, running, you would judge by, like, you know, I'm running the 5:30 mile. Mm-hmm. That's my pace, right? Your pace on a bike would be judged by power output.

Dr. Brandon Crawford: Okay.

Walker Carroll: So you have a power meter on the bike, and however, I guess, hard you're pedaling, it has a, a number-

Dr. Brandon Crawford: Mm-hmm

Walker Carroll: you know, attached to it that is your, your power number. So people talk about power a lot in the cycling community between your max power, the FTP, your functional threshold power. It's kind of just, like, the main metric used in cycling.

Dr. Brandon Crawford: Mm-hmm.

Walker Carroll: And so I'd set quite a few PRs on that. So it's kind of similar to setting, like, if I was running, I would be setting a mile PR, you know.

Nice. Okay. So super happy with that.

Dr. Brandon Crawford: Very cool. Yeah, I'm definitely not at the five-and-a-half minute mile mark these days. Yeah, I've definitely dropped off there. So what were you thinking? Like, what was your vision with cycling and your life, and, like, what were you working towards?

Walker Carroll: Yeah. So, you know, this year, I had joined a team, a cycling d- de- developmental cycling team, a devo team, that competes nationally.

And I was super excited I was gonna go compete in all these big national races and, you know, national championships just happened a few weeks ago, and I was gonna go compete in that. And so I was really excited for that. And, you know, the place I was at when the crash happened was a place where I could, I could see forward, and I could see...

You know, I could say, "I have a comfortable path to going professional- Mm ... in cycling." And so I was, I was super excited for that journey, you know? And, um- if I'm, you know, being completely honest, I'll mention this early, you know, I don't think ... I think I thought about myself a lot and that I didn't think about God much, and that ch- has changed dramatically since this happened.

Dr. Brandon Crawford: Yeah.

Walker Carroll: For the better, you know?

Dr. Brandon Crawford: Yeah. Absolutely. Why cycling? Why'd you land on that?

Walker Carroll: So my parents did cycling way back in the day. Uh-

Dr. Brandon Crawford: Way back. Did he just call you old?

Walker Carroll: Um, they did, they did some mountain bike races, and we had a state park that had some good trails when we lived in San Angelo.

And, you know, one day she shows me, "Hey, this team is looking for kids to ride with, you know? And they can do, you can do a tryout ride. You know, you can just go and have some fun." I said, "That sounds, that sounds pretty awesome. Yeah, you did it. That sounds aw- Like, I can do that." Right? So we went and tried it out, and I was, I was like, this is pretty fun, so I'm gonna keep doing this.

You know, 'cause I wasn't really doing any sports at the time.

Dr. Brandon Crawford: Mm-hmm.

Walker Carroll: And, you know, so we did, we did that and, and because of a miscommunication, I'd kind of gotten into it a little bit younger than you would typically.

Dr. Brandon Crawford: Mm-hmm.

Walker Carroll: So I was riding in fifth grade, and it usually starts sixth grade, but I got into sixth grade, I did my first race, right, with the, with the league.

And, um, after, after that first race, I was hooked. I was hooked on it f- pretty, pretty permanently.

Dr. Brandon Crawford: Nice. That's awesome. Were you just naturally competitive your whole life?

Walker Carroll: I, I would say so.

Dr. Brandon Crawford: Yeah.

Walker Carroll: Um, especially when it came to cycling. You know, my first, my first year, I remember my very first race, uh, was out in Troy, Texas, and we did- And I know

Dr. Brandon Crawford: where that is- Yeah

'cause I'm a Texas boy.

Walker Carroll: Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. And, um, I remember the fields, I mean, most of the NICA fields, especially at the time, 'cause it was ... They've split it now where it'll be north races and south races, 'cause Texas is so large and the league's gotten so many riders.

Dr. Brandon Crawford: And because Texas is the best state.

You know, I tell people- Exactly ... best country in the world, but, you know.

Walker Carroll: Yeah, best state in the country, you know? Best of the best. Yeah, so in that first race, I remember, 'cause the ... When you're in, in your middle school in cycling, in that league, all the guys I knew were like, "We all wanna get podium," which is the top five, right?

We all ... That's the, that's the main goal. And I remember that first race, I went out and I got sixth, and I was like, "Yes." You know, that's so close. I know next time I can get it, right?

Dr. Brandon Crawford: That's awesome.

Walker Carroll: And then, so that competitiveness kept me going. you know, through, through all these, um, through all these races, and I just k- I get doing better and better.

And that sixth grade year there ... 'Cause typically, when you're, when you're racing cycling at a really young age, the, like, the genetics or whatever kid's, like, most developed will, like-

Dr. Brandon Crawford: Yeah ...

Walker Carroll: kind of dominate. Mm-hmm. Especially in that sixth grade year.

Dr. Brandon Crawford: Oh, yeah.

Walker Carroll: And, you know, so that sixth grade year, there was one kid that was, you know, destroying everyone, but we showed up to that n- state, state, state championship race, and he wasn't there.

And we were all like, "Oh, now it's a free-for-all. Now we're like, now we're really fighting for it," you know? And I didn't expect much out of that race, you know, I just expected to do what my grandpa said, you know, just go out and have as much fun as I can. And I came out winning that race, and so that was my first, you know, first title.

And, you know, I, I was super happy with it. You know, it's stuck with me for a few years. Yeah.

Dr. Brandon Crawford: So. That's awesome. Who do you look up to in, in the cycling community? Who are some people that you're like- Mm ... "Man, I wanna, I wanna be like this person"?

Walker Carroll: You know, that's a, that's a good one. So there's, there's a rider right now, uh, from Mexico, Isaac Del Toro, and he's racing for a team that has, is with, like, you might have heard of Tadej Pogačar.

He's, like, the best of the best, probably the best ever, maybe the best athlete ever that's racing right now. And, and he kind of, you know, does kind of the work for him sometimes. You know, he helps him out. And but he's only 23, and he's doing incredible. You know, so I really look up to him as a guy that, you know, he pushes himself hard.

He works for his team, he works for himself, you know. And so I see him as one of those guys I look up to a lot.

Dr. Brandon Crawford: Nice. All right. We'll do what we can to connect you with that guy. All right. Let's see what, what we can do. Anyone out there in the audience, you got connections, let's, let's- ... hit him up. Going back to the week prior to this event happening, would you say you were at the, the top of your game? Were you, like, feeling as strong as you ever have?

Walker Carroll: Oh, for sure. You know, I'd been working with, with a team. I was doing a lot of training at that point. And, you know, I, I was at a place where I was doing numbers, uh, like power numbers that, in, in my, like, zone two, so, like, lower, you know, lower, lower zones, that I wouldn't have thought I could ever get to, you know.

Uh, that's kind of where I w- we were still in, like, that base phase. You know, you base, build, and peak phases- Mm-hmm ... in training. And in that, we were in that, that build phase. We were just starting that build phase, so we just finished the base phase, and that lower power zone was feeling i- incredibly strong.

And so same thing with, like, the functional threshold power I mentioned. I, I hadn't had... So, the, the day I got power pedals on my road bike, 'cause power pedals are really expensive, and I just bought some. And my first ride with them was the one that I got hit and they broke. I was like, "No." Mm. It was heartbreaking.

But, you know, I'd done some rides with my friend who has a power meter on his road bike, and we had ridden, pretty similar, like, pace and stuff, and he had put out some really, really good stuff, so I knew I was feeling really strong. Definitely stronger than I ever had been, so- Nice ... I was feeling really good.

Dr. Brandon Crawford: That's good. So let's go back to February 6th this year, 2026. Walk me through that day. So let's start, what was the morning like and where'd you end up?

Walker Carroll: Yeah, so morning I woke up and I was hyped because it... The next day we were headed to Dallas, headed to Fort Worth for a, a big road race. And this is one thing I look back on and, and kind of cringe at.

My mom had said, "You know, you can skip, you don't have to go with..." Uh, my friend Logan was going. He, I was gonna go with him, you know. She's like, "You don't have to go with him, you could, you could come with me." And I was like, "No, I wanna go over and go with Logan." Not, uh, not real, as we'll, as I'll say you know?

Not my best, uh, not my best decision, but I didn't know, you know. So we, I went over to his house, I drove over there and I was feeling really good. I was super excited. We hung out for a little while and then, you know, put our kits on to go, go out for a little spin, get the, get the legs fresh for tomorrow, you know?

And that's, that's when it happened. we were riding, it was only gonna be, like, an hour ride. Uh, just an easy hour ride. We were gonna go slow just to get the legs fresh for the next day. And, um, yeah, and, and that life really, that, that ride really changed my life. Um, because, you know, we were riding and, and this is from, I don't remember this day- Mm-hmm

after getting in the car to drive there. Yeah. So that, which was hours before it happened, right? Mm-hmm. I don't remember anything leading up to it, uh, directly. But my friend Logan was telling me, "Yeah, we, we looked back and we saw this truck coming at us." And we didn't think much of it, 'cause a lot of trucks would come at us, you know?

Dr. Brandon Crawford: Mm-hmm. Yeah.

Walker Carroll: Um-

Dr. Brandon Crawford: But how big was the road you were on? Was it a county road? Was it a highway?

Walker Carroll: It was, it was a county road.

Dr. Brandon Crawford: Yeah.

Walker Carroll: Right?

Dr. Brandon Crawford: Farming Market Road. Farming Market.

Walker Carroll: Yeah.

Dr. Brandon Crawford: Okay. So it wasn't huge.

Walker Carroll: It wasn't huge, but, you know, and it was, I mean, it was, it was straight. We were on a little bit of an up so you could see us.

Mm-hmm. I was wearing all white.

Dr. Brandon Crawford: Yeah.

Walker Carroll: I really don't think there's any reason that he didn't see us. Sure. You know?

Dr. Brandon Crawford: Yeah.

Walker Carroll: Um, it does certainly make it easier to think about that he just was distracted or something, but it is hard to look at it that way.

Dr. Brandon Crawford: Yeah.

Walker Carroll: But yeah, so, uh, road is, like, decently big and yeah,

Dr. Brandon Crawford: so you were hit from behind.

Walker Carroll: From behind.

Dr. Brandon Crawford: Okay. He was going about 70 miles an hour.

Walker Carroll: Yeah, a little over 70 miles an hour.

Dr. Brandon Crawford: And you were thrown, what, 113 feet, I think is what my note says?

Walker Carroll: Yeah, yeah. So I was, um... No, that's not, not a, like, a legal measurement. That's just, uh- Close enough ... my, my friend's mom- You were thrown a long way, man

went out and, and walked and measured it herself, and- Okay ... she said it was 113 feet for her- Yeah ... calculation. It's close

Dr. Brandon Crawford: enough for government work. Okay.

Walker Carroll: Close enough. Yeah. Yeah, so, um, yeah, 113 feet, and I landed in tall grass, which was a miracle- Yeah ... that I didn't land on the road, because that would've torn my skin a lot worse.

Dr. Brandon Crawford: Yeah.

Walker Carroll: Uh, my friend Logan told me later, he said, "All that was left on you was one, one, like, small piece of fabric around your neck, like, hanging like a cape." Oh, my gosh ... "And then your, your shorts was all that was left," because everything else had been torn off.

Dr. Brandon Crawford: Mm-hmm

Walker Carroll: He He said when he found me in the, in the tall grass, I was, um...

'Cause you know how brain injuries, yeah, I mean, it's pretty immediate, I think. You know, I was pulling my legs up to my chest and screaming, and my eyes were rolled back in my head, he said. So it was probably a pretty terrifying thing for him, I imagine. Mm. Or I know it was. I mean, he told me.

Dr. Brandon Crawford: Mm-hmm. Yeah. So what all injuries were sustained?

obviously brain injury.

Walker Carroll: Brain injury. Yeah. I had, um, was it four or six spinal fractures? I think three. Three. Three spinal fractures.

Dr. Brandon Crawford: Yeah.

Walker Carroll: So yeah, I have three spinal fractures. You might have to help me with this one. A punctured lung.

Dr. Brandon Crawford: Yeah.

Walker Carroll: A lacerated kidney.

Dr. Brandon Crawford: Hip.

Walker Carroll: Yeah, hip. Fractured hip. A broken fibula.

That's most of it, right? Yeah, a A lot of broken ribs. Ribs. Mm-hmm. A lot of broken ribs.

Dr. Brandon Crawford: Yeah. I know the list in my chart note is rather extensive.

Walker Carroll: Yeah.

Dr. Brandon Crawford: Yeah.

Walker Carroll: It was quite a bit.

Dr. Brandon Crawford: So you were rushed to the hospital. Yeah. They started to do their things. When did you start to kind of come to and come back to the world?

Walker Carroll: Man the first thing I remember is quite a bit after it all happened. So I have, I mean, I have... I'm not quite sure when this was, but I have, like, an image that I remember of, like, being in an ambulance, but it's just, like, one thing. I don't remember anything else- Mm ... besides this one image, right? And then the...

when I really started to remember things, I remember kind of opening my eyes and looking around the room and being like, "Where am I?" Right? Mm. And you're trying to have to figure it out, um, at Cook Children's, which was over a month later.

Dr. Brandon Crawford: Mm-hmm.

Walker Carroll: Um, 'cause we went in mid-March. This happened February 6th, so mid-March is when I really came to.

Dr. Brandon Crawford: Mm.

Walker Carroll: Um, so yeah, it was quite a while.

Dr. Brandon Crawford: Yeah. What'd the driver do that hit you?

Walker Carroll: It It was a hit-and-run, so he hit me. You know, I guess I can imagine, imagine him coming up behind me and boom, just flying off, you know what I mean? Like, "I'm out of here," you know? So he, he sped off and went home and hid his truck.

Really? And yeah, he went and hid his truck, and the only way that we know who he is or found him was because he lived close enough that they could hear the sirens of the ambulance, and he wouldn't tell his sister what, what happened. He wouldn't tell his sister what he hit. He could tell he hit something.

Mm. But she didn't know what it was, but she heard the ambulances. Like, "I think I know what he hit." And she went over there and told him who it was.

Dr. Brandon Crawford: Mm.

Walker Carroll: She said, "My brother hit his truck. He has a big dent in it."

Dr. Brandon Crawford: Mm.

Walker Carroll: And him and his girlfriend actually ended up driving by the scene while they were still there, and she pointed out, "That's them.

Go get them." And they had a big chase, you know, and went and hunted them down.

Dr. Brandon Crawford: Really?

Walker Carroll: Yeah.

Dr. Brandon Crawford: How old was the individual?

Walker Carroll: Uh, he was, what, 40s? late 40s. Okay. So should be more responsible at that point, you'd think.

Dr. Brandon Crawford: Oh, yeah, you would think.

They caught him?

Walker Carroll: They caught him. He's on...

So he, he's out on felony bond already.

Dr. Brandon Crawford: Okay.

Walker Carroll: So he got up to, um, like, a first-degree felony because of this, and he has, like, a two-and-a-half million dollar bond right now, so no one can get him out.

Dr. Brandon Crawford: Hmm.

Walker Carroll: Yeah, so he's, he's in jail right now still waiting on the court date.

Dr. Brandon Crawford: Wow.

Walker Carroll: Yeah. It's, it's pretty crazy.

Dr. Brandon Crawford: Yeah. So a lot of my, my listeners are patients or caregivers, and- Right ... a lot of them are in the, the brain injury world. Absolutely. So, anytime we can, we like to have someone give their perspective about- Hmm

what is this experience like? Because some of the, the people that I'm referencing, like, their their loved one can't speak yet, or they're- Right ... you know, they're still in a bad state. So can you help someone understand, like, what's, what's that experience like in your head and your body and...?

Walker Carroll: You know, I have been so blessed to be where I'm at today.

God has worked more miracles than I can count over this experience. And, um, it, it's been hard, you know? It's been very hard. I... You know, I can't cycle anymore at the moment, um, due to the brain injury, and, you know, I've lost... That was, like I told you earlier, you know, that was what my days revolved around.

That's what I loved the most. And so losing that has been quite hard on me, and losing the opportunities that I had. Like, like I said, I had a path to go pro, you know? Mm-hmm. One of those thing... Now that's gone, right? Mm-hmm. So that's been really, really hard on me. And, um, you know, just, just been hard overall.

But each day, you know, I come, I just come back to that thought, like, "Man, I could think about this as the worst thing that ever happened to me, as this ruined my life, this ruined my opportunities, this ruined my love, or I could look at it as one of the greatest, most beautiful opportunity or, or experiences that I've had," because God has worked so many miracles in me, and I've come out of this, I think, a much better and stronger person in faith and in God, rather than, you know, finding my identity in myself and in my athletic accomplishments.

Dr. Brandon Crawford: Mm-hmm.

Walker Carroll: Just finding my identity in Him and, and following Him, you know?

Dr. Brandon Crawford: Yeah. Was that your initial thought process or realization, or did you have to go through a period of anguish and frustration and shaking your fist at, at God, which is totally normal and fine. Right. And I only ask you because, like, these are things that I hear.

Mm. And I always tell them, "Yeah, I mean, it's okay to be mad at God sometimes." I mean, just like if I'm disciplining my child and he gets mad at me. Yeah,

Walker Carroll: yeah.

Dr. Brandon Crawford: But I know what I'm doing is for his safety or his health or whatever is best for him. Exactly. It's okay for that kid to be mad at me.

Walker Carroll: Right.

Dr. Brandon Crawford: Right?

The... It's hard to think that way for a lot of, of people, but I mean, what was your initial like, what was your initial thought process through this?

Walker Carroll: So as soon, like I was mentioning, you know, as soon as I woke up in mid-March in Cook's, or I say woke up, I was doing things before that, but that's when I start remembering.

Mm-hmm. Right after the shunt was placed and everything. That's when I started remembering all this stuff, and one of the first things that happened, I remember my dad, I was talking to my dad and he told me, "You gotta, you gotta hear the stuff that God's done already. You gotta hear all these miracles that happened.

The doctors, you know, didn't give you much hope past the first night. You're gonna, you're gonna pass away. You know, you, um, your spinal injuries were so bad it should've cut your spinal cord, but it didn't." Which was a miracle on its own , you know. All these things, there's so many of them, that, you know...

And my doctor, the trauma surgeon, he told me later, he said, "This, what happened, was statistically, so not luck, and biologically impossible." So even, you know, even the doctors that worked on me knew this could have only been God, right? Uh, that's, that's how, how bad the situation was when I first got there, and, you know- After my dad was telling me all the, all these things which we'll probably get into later, you know, all these things, I realized, you know, that was my biggest comfort was I...

As soon as he told me this stuff, I knew this is part of a bigger plan than me, you know? This is part of a plan that I can trust, that I can believe in, that I can hope in. And, you know, that's still been something that, I mean, there's definitely some struggle sometimes to keep in that, but I'll definitely say that's definitely one of my biggest comforts is just knowing is that after all the things I've seen, I know confidently that God has his hands around us, and he's putting us in the right places, and he has a plan for me, you know?

Yeah. So, I don't think there was ever too much. And of course, there's been days where I'm like, "Man, God, why did this happen?"

Dr. Brandon Crawford: Mm-hmm. "

Walker Carroll: Why am I being put through this?" But I'd, I'd really think that, uh, at the end of the day, I always come back to thank you, you know, that I... Thank you, I'm still here. Thank you, I, I'm still able to talk and walk, you know?

The paralysis thing was, you know, I think they were pretty confident for a while that I could've been, I could be paralyzed, you know? And so, I really started moving around more, and they're like, "This is incredible," you know? And so, at the end of the day, you know, I always come back to just being grateful, and I think that's the best thing.

Dr. Brandon Crawford: Nice. What do you do in those moments where you do start to think of, "Why? Why did this happen? What's going on?" Like, you start to get in those, those moments.

Walker Carroll: Yeah. You know, I think in those moments, sometimes, I say most of the time, I've gotten to a point now where I think my first reaction, my first response is kind of just to get into prayer, you know, and say, "God, I don't understand why this is happening, um, but I'm not going to, you know, until, until later.

And I'm just gonna have to trust you entirely, and you've showed me this far that I can trust you entirely, and so just help me, help me trust you, help me believe, help me have faith that what you're doing is for the good of me, is the good of, of us, and, and, um, a- and, and to help me in the end," you know?

Dr. Brandon Crawford: Yeah. That's awesome. I mean, you're definitely more mature than the typical 16-year-old. Uh, sounds like you probably were before this event, too, which is awesome and you're right, there's a plan. There's a plan in motion. We may not ever get to know what that was until we get to talk to God face to face, right?

Walker Carroll: Exactly.

Dr. Brandon Crawford: But we know that there is one. What would you say to someone that may not be as faithfully grounded, or things may not be so apparent that God's hand is, is on them or around them? Mm-hmm. Do you have any words of wisdom to that individual where maybe it's not so easy for them?

Walker Carroll: Yeah, you know, that's something I've thought about a lot, and it really is a hard, hard thing for me to think about is what I would say to someone.

And I think where I'd start is, you know, if you believe my words and what I'm gonna say, you're gonna believe after I tell you my story, you know? And I think that's, that's kind of my goal now, I think, is I just wanna get this out, tell everyone about this because it's such a miracle. Like, it's something, like, straight out of the Bible I feel like, you know?

Some of the stuff that happened is so incredible that, like, if someone believes what I'm saying and doesn't think I'm making it up, then there's, there's no other thing than to, to start thinking about it more and- Yeah ... let God in, you know, plant those seeds.

Dr. Brandon Crawford: Right.

Walker Carroll: So yeah. But, you know, I, I would say There's a verse that I've been telling some people.

Kinda like what you're saying, you know, when you're having some struggles, what would you tell someone? And, um, of course, when you talk about verses, it usually applies to believers. But, um, a verse I've been sharing is, um, one that says, you know, "Do not be anxious about anything. But in all things, by prayer and petition, present your requests to God with thanksgiving."

And, um, and the peace of God that's unexplainable will fill you. And that's something that I feel like I've experienced firsthand, and I want everyone to experience 'cause it is so incredible, you know?

Dr. Brandon Crawford: Yeah. That's awesome. It reminds me, you know, I was listening to, and I wish I could remember who it is.

Um, it was a long time ago, but he's a, I'm gonna butcher what it, it- ... apologetic. I, I don't know, but- Apologetics? Yes. Yeah,

Walker Carroll: yeah,

Dr. Brandon Crawford: yeah. And y- he was essentially being grilled about, you know, is God real and- Mm ... you know, uh, what, w- what's your substantive evidence and- Mm-hmm ... you know, all this kind of stuff.

And he had really strong arguments. Yeah. Um, he was, you know, just firing right back to- Yeah ... the person, with all this data

and then it came down ultimately to, but how do you know, right? Right. And he said ultimately, there is a faith component.

Walker Carroll: Yeah.

Dr. Brandon Crawford: And, he said, "I'm just gonna say, if you prayerfully reach out to God, and you say, 'God, show me.

Show me your presence. Show me your grace. Show me your love,'" right? And he went through a prayer that, that he recommended. He said, "I thoroughly believe that you will experience." Mm.

Walker Carroll: Absolutely.

Dr. Brandon Crawford: Right? And so I think that's a good message, right? It's like because- Yeah ... w- we're gonna have, of course, we have our believers, right, who are gonna catch onto this and be like, "Absolutely, I know what you're talking about."

Yeah. but then, a- and I get to talk to these people, right? But because then we have the non-believers, and, and that's okay. That's their journey and but this is the message they need to hear.

Walker Carroll: Yeah.

Dr. Brandon Crawford: Right? I think you're gonna have a huge impact on the world. You are, you're already having a huge impact on the world.

I mean, the testimony that you gave in church this past weekend was extremely strong. Thank you. Um, I, I sent it to a pastor I know, and I mean, he was, he was in tears. and we talked about it a little bit. So, there's something special in you, man.

Walker Carroll: Thank you.

Dr. Brandon Crawford: Okay. So, Was there a moment where something shifted in you, whether it be physical, mental, something, and you thought, "I'm coming back. Like, this, things are turning on. Like, this is..." Like, was there a moment for you?

Walker Carroll: You know, it was definitely more of a slower, a slower movement, I think because I felt like even, even now, sometimes it just feels like it's one thing after another.

Like in, in Cookes, I woke up and I was faced with everything I worked for so hard every day is gone, you know? And, and that was a setback, you know, mentally. And learning how to walk again, physically, all that stuff was hard. And then once I got done with that, it felt like, well, now I'm throwing up all the time because my brain is full of pressure, you know?

Mm. And I got the shunt put in, it was the opposite. I was, I had not enough pressure, and now I'm throwing up all over the place again.

Dr. Brandon Crawford: Mm.

Walker Carroll: You know, all these th- And just, and so there was, there was a lot of, a lot of hardship. And I, I even specifically remember thinking to myself, "Does this, does this mean I quit cycling?

Does this mean it's over?" You know? And then I remember s- that was kind of a switch. I remember thinking to myself, "This isn't gonna be the end," you know? "I'm gonna work past this." And, um, and there have been a, like a few moments like that where, you know, I've really had to put, ... Well, a big switch for me was, I think, I, I don't, I can't tell exactly when this was, but I just remember this thought process, and it's probably happened a few times, where I'm like, "All this stuff has happened that's so bad.

I'm in such this dark place. But God showed me what he can d- do," right? And in the Bible, it says, "With him, all things are possible." And I know with him all things are possible, and so that's what I'm gonna trust in. That's what I'm gonna believe in. That's what I'm gonna put everything I have into. And, um, maybe that gets me, uh, back into cycling.

Maybe that gets me somewhere greater, you know? Mm-hmm. And I think just trusting his plan and where he, what he has for me is, is the best thing, you know?

Dr. Brandon Crawford: Yeah. But you do wanna be cycling again.

Walker Carroll: I do. I do.

Dr. Brandon Crawford: That is a goal.

Walker Carroll: It is a goal.

Dr. Brandon Crawford: Yeah. And you do wanna be competitive again?

Walker Carroll: I do.

Dr. Brandon Crawford: Yeah. I, I mean, why not?

You've come so far, and you've ... I mean, you've ... look at where you started and where you're at now- Right ... in such a short time period, just a little over- Thank you ... six months.

Walker Carroll: Yes, sir.

Dr. Brandon Crawford: Right? So why not, if you extrapolate that, I mean, come on.

Walker Carroll: Exactly.

Dr. Brandon Crawford: You, you could be there. So we've been working with you in the office.

Walker Carroll: Yeah.

Dr. Brandon Crawford: Can you give me just some of your point-of-view perspective about what that's been like, and maybe some challenges, and maybe some things that you thought you'd be better at, or a- a- anything- Absolutely ... anything like that?

Walker Carroll: I think working here has been a blessing. I think God really opened these doors for us. And you know, I think that everything from, from the therapy to you know, procedure, the vCell procedure has been really amazing. Everyone I've worked with has been a blessing to work with.

And you know, you know, there have been some challenges with the, with the, some of the therapy thing, activities we do, right? Where, you know, I'll be... Like if I'm on the balance beam, I'll be like, "This is like really hard to, to balance," you know? And that's kind of one of those things that I, before I would've been like, "This is the easiest thing I've ever done," right?

Some of the stuff like that. So I guess a little tricky. Like, you know, one of those, one of the things that really got me was, Um... Well, there's a couple things. One we've been working on the last couple days, the, uh, David's cross.

Dr. Brandon Crawford: Mm-hmm.

Walker Carroll: Move your nose- Yeah ... and the eyes, nose and the eyes. I said that was trickier than I expected.

Dr. Brandon Crawford: Yeah.

Walker Carroll: And then doing the, uh, the colors, so if it said like red, green, blue, and you- Mm-hmm ... you know, that's a lot trickier than I expected it to be as well. Kind of that memory stuff. But I- Yeah ... can definitely, at the end of the day, I can definitely be like, that was, that definitely was working, you know?

Dr. Brandon Crawford: Yeah.

Walker Carroll: I c- I can feel like I told Mom, it feels like when I first did speech therapy and it was really hard. Mm-hmm. My brain was working really hard. I was exhausted at the end. Mm-hmm. Right? So I was like, I know my brain's working hard when I'm doing these activities because I'm the same, the s- feel, I feel the same way after it, you know?

So I really think it's going well. And you know, like we talked about, um, on the vCell day I think it was incredible, Like, I don't think it was a coincidence. I think it was just from God that it was exactly six months after the accident. Yeah,

Dr. Brandon Crawford: to the day.

Walker Carroll: Yeah. To the day. Mm-hmm. It was six months after.

And so I really have a strong faith that that's gonna go exactly like we planned it to, you know? Absolutely. Because I think, I think God has his hands on all of it.

Dr. Brandon Crawford: Mm-hmm. Absolutely. You actually... So before procedures, I always go in and I say, "All right. Do you know what's about to happen?" Right?

Because, and our, our process is, you speak with multiple people before you do the procedure, right? Yes, sir. Uh, whether it be our nurse practitioner, our medical director, Dr. Jerry, myself, one of the other provi- Like, we wanna make sure that you know what's going on. And so I walk in and I'm like, "All right.

Do you know what's gonna happen?" And you gave your version of, of- ... the VSEL procedure I've never heard before. It's fantastic. Can you, can you give us your rendition of that?

Walker Carroll: Yeah, yeah. So I said, "Take the blood, put it in the blender. Uh, wake the cells up," right? We get it, we get it back out and we separate the, uh, separate the plasma and pull the plasma back in.

Dr. Brandon Crawford: Yeah. It was, uh, it- I was like, "Blender, yeah." Perfect. and you threw some lasers in there too.

Walker Carroll: Oh, yeah, the lasers.

Dr. Brandon Crawford: Yeah. And then if I remember correctly, you had some, some pretty cool changes that day after, right?

Walker Carroll: Yeah. So, um, I, I think it was Saturday or Sunday when I was home, and yeah, I got up and I was looking out my, my right eye.

I was like, "Man, it's really good today." Like, I thought it was like half the blurriness is gone. Like, this is pretty incredible.

Dr. Brandon Crawford: Nice.

Walker Carroll: And, you know, I've had really good days and, and bad days, you know? So I was, I was like, "I'm hoping this sticks around a little bit."

Dr. Brandon Crawford: Mm-hmm.

Walker Carroll: And I'll say it was definitely a, a good day, but I think it was a good day plus- Mm-hmm

the treatment because- Mm-hmm ... i've noticed it has been consistently a little bit better than it has been, you know? So I think, one, over time it'll keep getting better, I'm hoping. Mm-hmm. And I think, two like I think it was maybe last night where I was like... I was like, "Man, it's, it's like better today, too," you know?

Yeah. So I think the good days are even, even better-

Dr. Brandon Crawford: Yeah ...

Walker Carroll: in terms of, like, where I can, I can see clearly out of it, you know? Right.

Dr. Brandon Crawford: Well, it hasn't even been a week since we did that, so. It's

Walker Carroll: true.

Dr. Brandon Crawford: So yes, there's definitely more coming for you. Did the concepts of neuroplasticity mean anything to you before this all happened?

Walker Carroll: Yeah. So they talked about neuroplasticity, I think, at Cook's.

Dr. Brandon Crawford: No, before your injury, before-

Walker Carroll: Oh, before

Dr. Brandon Crawford: the

Walker Carroll: injury ...

Dr. Brandon Crawford: your accident.

Walker Carroll: No, no, I had no idea what it was. Had

Dr. Brandon Crawford: you ever heard of the term?

Walker Carroll: I had not.

Dr. Brandon Crawford: Okay. What are your thoughts on neuroplasticity now?

Walker Carroll: You know, I think, I think it's a pretty cool thing.

You know, the way they explained it before was they said, you know, when you have this kind of injury, it's like you have the outlet, a bunch of outlets, and all these cords have been unplugged, right? And some of them, some of them are gone. Some of the outlets are gone, but your brain can find a new place to plug it in with neuroplasticity, right?

If you just work your brain. And that's what they kinda told me, like, that this first year you really wanna work your brain hard and get those cords plugged back in as much as you can 'cause it, it's the fastest in that first year.

Dr. Brandon Crawford: I would y- yes, the sooner the better. But we've also worked with people that have been 40 years out from brain injury, and we can still develop neuroplasticity.

Walker Carroll: Wow.

Dr. Brandon Crawford: So I think I definitely wanna put that message out there that-

Walker Carroll: Yeah ...

Dr. Brandon Crawford: yes, the sooner the better. However, m- it's, y- your brain will be able to change until- At any age ... until you're done, right? Yeah, absolutely. Um, so that's, that's kind of a I guess a myth in the, the- Yeah ... neuro rehab wor- It's getting better.

You know, used to they would just say, "Oh, sorry. You, you can't change your brain, period." Mm-hmm. You know? And that's really finally starting to change now.

I mean, obviously they told you about neuroplasticity. Yeah. Go back five or 10 years ago and that discussion wouldn't have happened, right?

They would've said, "This is life."

Walker Carroll: Yeah.

Dr. Brandon Crawford: You can rewire pathways. You can remap sensory maps and m- motor maps and there's all different ways to approach neuroplasticity. And you know, the goal is to essentially hit it from every angle because i- it, it's very challenging to know how the individual's going to respond.

Hmm. Um, and that's why I love the intensive care model because we get to work with you for a prolonged period of time. Yes, yeah. And we go, "Oh, this is how their brain's gonna accept this." Hmm. "And this is how their brain is going to remap."

Walker Carroll: Right.

Dr. Brandon Crawford: So rather than just, you know, some therapy here and there, it's this more intensive upfront

I talk about neuroplasticity like momentum.

Walker Carroll: Hmm.

Dr. Brandon Crawford: So I wanna generate as much momentum upfront, that way there's what we call carry over neuroplasticity, right? And that's a big reason why we use lasers because certain wavelengths of light really generates more carry over, neuroplasticity, meaning when we stop, the change still continues.

Walker Carroll: Okay. Yeah.

Dr. Brandon Crawford: So, you know, I also tell people it's kinda like going to the gym, right? If you're trying to build muscles and you go, you know, once a month, you're not gonna really do much. Right. But but, you know, if we, if we have proper intensity, frequency, and duration of stimulus, we can really generate-

Walker Carroll: Hmm

Dr. Brandon Crawford: you know, a, a good amount of momentum so that- Absolutely ... we can carry this forward, so. But that's what it's all about, man. We are neuroplasticity doctors, and that's where this, is really, you know, powerful.

And we can, take this out if you want, you know, you don't have to answer it.

So let's say that that individual that, that hit you that day, right? they were in front of you and having a conversation with you. What, what would you wanna say to them?

Walker Carroll: You know, that's something I thought about, thought about a lot. My dad talked to me about, um, sometimes in, in court they'll have like a victim impact statement.

Mm-hmm. And I thought about, well, what would I say theoretically if I had the opportunity to do that, you know? If he got to hear what I had to say, what would I say? And, you know, like I've mentioned, uh, I think I've really been transformed through this in, in a good way for God, and I think that before, you know, and even still, what I want to say you know, there's a lot of things I wanna say that wouldn't be, I think, the right thing to say.

Dr. Brandon Crawford: Yeah.

Walker Carroll: Like, "Man, you know, I hate you. Why would you do this to me? You like ruined my life," all this stuff. But I think that I've thought about this a lot, and one thing that sticks out to me there's a couple things. So one, I don't, we don't know entirely for sure, you know, if he was just trying to scare us, uh, if he was distracted, you know, if he didn't a- if he actually didn't see us, you know, any of those things.

Um, I'm not sure which, um, you know ... I don't, I don't think I'll ever know, you know? Yeah. But I, I do know that in the Bible it says, God says, "Vengeance is mine. I will repay," right? And so that gives me comfort. I don't have to worry about that. I don't have to take care of this here, right? I can just, I can just forgive him as He forgives me, right?

And have no anger towards him, and then I would wanna tell him that.

Dr. Brandon Crawford: Yeah.

Walker Carroll: Because you know, he has cancer. It's, it's pretty bad. The, the DA said he's gonna die in prison. Mm. You know? And I would want him to know that. I would want him to know, "I have no anger towards you. I forgive you. God will forgive you if you seek repentance," and, And you can still, I mean, you could still go to heaven, you know?

You could still, he could still save your soul. And I think that that would be the most powerful thing to him I could say, and the best thing for everyone, you know? Yeah.

Dr. Brandon Crawford: I thought that's what you'd say. Yeah. I think that there's a lot of individuals that wouldn't say that. But that's where I thought you'd go with that.

So-

Walker Carroll: Yeah, it definitely took me a long time to get to that conclusion, you know? Yeah. 'Cause there was a long time where I'd think about it, and I'd be like, "Nah, I'd, I'd stand up and hit him in the face," you know?

Dr. Brandon Crawford: Yeah. Yeah. And but you're right. You know, I always envision myself when I'm really trying to fight a fight, right?

Mm-hmm. No matter what it is, you know? Yeah. There's always something. The, the vision that I always have in my head is that, "Why am I boxing in this ring," right? Mm. And I see myself boxing in the ring.

Walker Carroll: Yeah.

Dr. Brandon Crawford: I'm like, "The Bible tells me to take off my gloves."

Walker Carroll: Yeah.

Dr. Brandon Crawford: I don't belong in that ring. Yeah. That fight is not mine.

Mm. That fight is already won. The

Walker Carroll: fight's already won.

Dr. Brandon Crawford: Yeah. That's, that's just me, so.

Walker Carroll: Absolutely.

Dr. Brandon Crawford: Man, you're, you're an amazing person. Is there anything else that you'd like to tell the world, or anything else that you'd like to elaborate on here?

Walker Carroll: You know, I think, I think most things I wanted to say, I got to say, so I'm happy.

Dr. Brandon Crawford: Awesome. Well, I thank you for your time, thank you for your story. For everyone listening, if this information touched your heart, if you know of someone that needs to hear this message, please share it with them. That's why we're doing this. That's why Walker's here, to share his story and to help others.

So please do that. Walker, again, thank you so much.

Walker Carroll: Thank you.

Dr. Brandon Crawford: Everyone, share this story, man. This is a powerful one. we'll see you next time.