Bridger Hunt now at 15 years old

Bridger’s life was spared by the life-saving efforts of neighbors and paramedics and by the miraculous work of the highly skilled team of emergency doctors and surgeons. Ryan had the privilege of meeting Bridger and his family just 2 months after the accident. Ryan was moved by Bridger’s attitude in the face of so much pain and uncertainty. The doctors said Bridger would never walk again, but Bridger’s smile told a different story. Though this young skater was weak and pale he was determined to prove the doctors wrong and his resolve was contagious. Ryan left Bridger with his skateboard, the trophy he had just won and a financial contribution for his rehabilitation.

Today, Bridger is a straight A student, who due to his hard work and determination is walking. When asked what Ryan’s visit meant to him Bridger’s mother, Mindy, said “He wasn’t suppose to live, let alone ever walk again. Meeting Ryan helped Bridger to recover, it made the difference between walking and not walking. “ Stories like this are why the Sheckler Foundation exists, allowing us to turn a simple request to visit a sick child into the opportunity to create sustainable change.

At the Sheckler Foundation’s “Skate for a Cause” in 2010, the event raised monies and awareness for the “Make-A-Wish” group. In between competitions, Ryan took time to meet with children in treatment for cancer, as well as some survivors of this cruel disease. One of these kids, 8-year old skater Thomas Johnson, is pictured here with Ryan. They exchanged a few words of encouragement to each other, and Thomas’s face shows the joy he got from bonding with the guy who popped from the giant wall decal in his skate-themed room. Thomas had met the challenge of five years of harsh surgeries, chemo therapy and intense radiation. Although Thomas endured so much cancer treatment, the tumors returned, and only days before this event, Thomas began End-Of-Life care at home.

Thomas died 6-weeks after this picture was taken, but his Legend Lives On in his “TEAM THOMAS” community of 1000+ who raise funds for pediatric cancer research at local schools and the annual Cinco de Mayo ‘Reaching for the Cure’ run/walk put on by the Pediatric Cancer Research Foundation in Irvine, CA.

Thomas, in his own words, left us all with a simple quote: “We will be kind and loving to each others.” It looks like he and Ryan bonded on more than just skateboarding.

In loving memory of Thomas Johnson