Rasheed Walker tells his story and offers words of hope to Doris “Judy” Dickey on one of his visits to VUMC’s Trauma Unit. Photo by Steve Green
Rasheed Walker stepped through the doors of the Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s (VUNC) Trauma Unit with a cart full of gift bags in tow.
His mother, Corisa Parks and his friend Edward Gray, proudly followed snapping photos. They both knew the visit was another milestone in Walker’s healing journey.
You couldn’t tell by his appearance but just three years ago the 29-year-old was in intensive care in the Trauma Unit, unconscious, connected to beeping machines and clinging to life.
Walker had been driving home in the early morning hours of March 26, 2016 after a long workday, attending a concert, and hanging out with friends.
“I was near my house, but missed my exit, so I got off the interstate and when I tried to get back on it was pitch black and I didn’t see any signs,” Walker said. “I thought I was getting on the on-ramp.”
Instead, he turned onto the exit ramp, traveling in the wrong direction.
Seconds later, his car slammed head-on into another car. The driver of the other car was not injured as badly, but Walker was ejected. Emergency responders found him on the ground near his car, with multiple critical injuries.
He was rushed to VUMC as a Level I trauma patient.
“He broke every bone in his face,” said Richard Miller, MD, chief, Division of Trauma and Surgical Critical Care. “He had a tracheostomy, feeding tube, broke his collarbone, shattered his ankle, and ruptured his intestines. Really, from top to bottom, he had extensive, life-threatening injuries.”
“When I come here, I just have positive energy all around me.Why not give back to others? Why not offer others inspiration?”
He underwent eight surgeries in his first four days at VUMC, and doctors told his mom he had a 20% chance of survival, Walker said.
Despite those dark days, Walker brings light and positivity when he and his mom visit trauma patients and their families.
“When I come here, I just have positive energy all around me,” Walker said, pulling the cart full of care packages. “Why not give back to others? Why not offer others inspiration?”
The Gift of Positivity
After a total of nine surgeries, and time in a rehab hospital, Walker was determined to speed up his healing process.
“What kept me motivated was fulfilling the rest of my dreams,” he said. “I needed to get healthy again, so I could continue living. A lot of people were counting on me and looked up to me.”
Those people included students at White’s Creek High School, where he taught math, and basketball players in the Nashville pro-am league, which he created. (He is still teaching, but has since moved to another school, Cora Howe).
“I gave myself a nickname — Rapid Recovery Rasheed, Triple R for short,” Walker said. “I wasn’t even fully recovered, and I was speaking good things before they happened, and they did happen.”
By the fall of 2016, Walker was back in his classroom and it didn’t take him long to set his first appointment to come back to the Trauma Unit as a visitor.
“When I was (a patient) in the Trauma Unit a lot of people showed love to my family; it made me want to give back to other families as much as I could,” Walker said.
And that’s what he does, three times a year: on his birthday in June, around the holidays and on the date of his wreck.
Walker pays for the goodie bags with his own money, and with the help of his students, he assembled 250 bags for his March visit. His gift bags are filled with multiple snacks and bottled water. They are designed to help trauma patients’ family members get through the day, so they can stay near loved ones.
“From day one I kept the faith, I never gave up,” Corisa Parks, his mom said. “I never doubted my faith, the doctors’ faith, or Rasheed.”
“My mom didn’t want to leave or go to the cafeteria to eat; she wanted to wait for the doctor to come give good news. She didn’t want to miss anything,” Walker said. “So, I understand what other families are going through.”
Besides the bags, Walker and his mom share encouraging words, letting others know that better days are ahead.
“From day one I kept the faith, I never gave up,” Corisa Parks, his mom said. “I never doubted my faith, the doctors’ faith, or Rasheed.”
Helping Others Heal
During his visit, Walker met trauma patient Doris “Judy” Dickey, who listened intently to him speak.
“Hi. I’m Rasheed Walker. I was in the hospital for 36 days after I was in a car crash.”
They exchanged personal stories about their medical journeys and after a short conversation, Walker moved on, down the hallway, leaving a gift bag for Dickey and one for her family members.
“He is such an upbeat and hopeful young man,” she said. “You can look at him and see he worked for it, and he got there quick. And I am going to work for it and get there quick,” she added.
Walker was surprised to see Miller and Stephen Gondek, MD, MPH, assistant professor of Surgery.
For the first time, he was able to thank two of the doctors who performed life-saving surgeries on him.
“This makes our hearts warm to see a patient recover to a point where they are able to help others,” Miller said. “That is a great feeling.”
With hugs and handshakes, he updated them about what happened after he left their care and gave them each a bracelet with the acronym and his mantra: H.U.S.T.L.E. (How you Survive Through Life Every day) STRONG.
“They saw me at my very lowest, and it was wild to see their reactions to how far I’ve come,” Walker said, smiling.
“This makes our hearts warm to see a patient recover to a point where they are able to help others,” Miller said. “That is a great feeling.”
Walker will return to VUMC for his next appointment on his birthday in June.
Once again, he will be bearing gifts.
And he will be sharing his story with patients and their families reminding them to never give up hope.
“It means the world to me that I get to be a positive influence on others who are going through what I went through, or worse,” Walker said. “I always want to be a blessing to others and this is a way for me to do it — it means more to me than anything.”
