The friends of a family, whose son was severely injured in a rodeo accident, have started a GoFundMe to help support the boy, his mom, and dad, who recently shared an update on his son’s condition.
The father of a 17-year-old boy named Walker Smith, who was kicked by a bull during a rodeo event, has taken to Facebook to update the public on his son’s condition. He went live on the platform yesterday, November 25.
Daniel Smith providing an update on his son’s condition after his accident, posted on November 25, 2024 | Source: Facebook/Daniel Smith
After rectifying some technical difficulties, Daniel Smith (the father) began his update by expressing, “Praise Report today is gonna be […] that PT came in, they worked with Walker today. They did get him out of the bed and set him offside of the bed. He did sit up on his own.”
He continued, “Well, once they sat him up, he stayed up, and, you know, he held his own head up and he moved his own legs […] So, that’s a plus. Everybody was praying for that, and we’ve been praying for that.”
Daniel Smith | Source: Facebook/Daniel Smith
Daniel then revealed, “I can tell you that the CT scan of the stomach did come back, praise God, and it’s all negative. Only [sic] thing they found in his stomach was a little extra air, which is not concerning to them, but they’re gonna get that taken care of.”
The dad clarified that the “Praise Report” is all good, highlighting how that day, he received “great news.” “I couldn’t be more [sic] happier for the progress he has made today. God continues to show up and show out and show us everything that he is doing right now,” noted Daniel.
He went on to disclose that at that time, all Walker had was “a bad migraine,” which Daniel assured would be attended to by doctors.
However, he said, “But what I will tell you is, this morning, they didn’t have much hope that he would hold up his head […] He did hold his head up, and not only that, but he’s now giving a strong thumbs up on both hands.”
Daniel also noted that his son’s grip is tighter and that he was able to hold his own legs up after doctors asked him if he could and lifted him.
The father then veered the update toward his mother-in-law, who he said the public has been asking about, as she is going through her own medical predicament.
“We wanna thank you for praying for that. We’re just claiming victory all the way around. God is good, God has showed up in so many ways. And I want to thank you guys for standing in our corner, and praying with us, and believing. And, there’s nothing better than watching a young man come out of a accident [sic],” stated Daniel.
In the rest of his video message, he extended his gratitude to “all the little groups and all the rodeos” who have shown their support and prayed for him, his son, and their family.
Daniel also reiterated his thanks to God and asked the public to send prayers to an individual he met at the hospital, who he said needs some uplifting, before thanking people who have donated to Walker’s GoFundMe.
The GoFundMe page was created on behalf of the Smiths by someone named Jenna Wade Truitt Neal (the organizer) and other rodeo friends, who aim to assist the family through this challenging time.
“Walker is an amazing young man who touched my heart a few years ago when I was Bucking Bulls at Workd [sic] Finals! Since then I’ve had the privilege of watching him grow in his Faith, Riding and as a wonderful young man!” explained Jenna at the beginning of the description.
The message continues, “He sure is previous [sic] to our hearts! We want his sweet parents to be able to focus on helping Walker get better and come home! They do so much for so many and this small act of kindness would truly bless them in so many ways!”
The description then contextualizes Walker’s accident, noting how the young teen’s bull-riding mishap resulted in him needing to be life-flighted because he had a collapsed lung.
By the time Walker, who is a gifted bull rider, arrived at Holmes Regional Medical Center in Melbourne, Florida, both his lungs had collapsed and he had bleeding in his brain.
Jenna ended the message with a plea to the public to assist with any donation they can muster within their means while acknowledging the financial strain the holiday season tends to bring.
“All proceeds will go directly to the Smith family to help with all costs while Walker is in the hospital! I would love to help lighten their load and Jesus says in the Bible, Matthew 18:20 ‘For where two or three are gathered together in my name, I am there among them,'” penned Jenna.
The organizer then thanked everyone for the outpouring of love and support they have received thus far. Currently, the GoFundMe has surpassed its target of $5,000.
Walker’s accident occurred at a bull-riding event in South Florida on Friday night, November 15. His dad and mom, Sabrina Endres Smith, were alerted via a phone call that a bull had kicked Walker in the chest and that he was going to get looked at by EMTs.
Naturally, his parents dropped everything to drive down from Tallahassee to be with their son as doctors worked on him. On November 18, Daniel and Sabrina informed the public of their son’s condition after a neurosurgeon attended to him.
At the time, the worried parents divulged, “Walker had a series of mini strokes in his brain. He is not moving his hands and feet. They unplugged him to see if he was breathing on his and he had trouble. So they plugged him back up [sic].”
Sabrina and Daniel expressed how they had a lot of questions that they were trying to get answers to before noting how they needed “more prayers.”
“He is fighting for his life right now I’m asking everyone to claim in the name of JESUS THAT HEALING IS ON THE WAY…. Only God can do this. We appreciate all your prayers and thoughts and love.. please keep it coming… [sic]” reads the end of their statement.
Even though Walker is doing much better than he was when his accident first occurred, we continue to extend our heartfelt prayers his way and wish for his healing and a full recovery.
