6 year old Bridger Walker of Cheyenne, Wyoming has always had a close bond with his 4 year old sister, whose name the family has chosen not to reveal.
Recalls his father Robert, “As his parents we were anxious about how he would react, but without hesitation, he jumped into the oversized hospital chair and waited patiently for his turn to hold her.
Since that moment, it was clear to us that there was a special bond between him and his sister.
Bridger rarely strays far from his little sister.”
On July 9th, they were visiting a friend, “Upon entering the yard, the child with them pointed to one dog and said ‘that is the nice dog,’ and pointed to the other dog in the yard, explaining, ‘this is the mean one’”.
As the ‘the mean one’ ran at them, Bridger then explained how he “stepped to the side, in front of my sister so that the dog wouldn’t get to her. I kept moving, so it couldn’t get past”.
The german shepherd mix bit and held onto Bridger’s face as he yelled to his sister to run away.
When the dog finally let go, it tried to go around him and he wouldn’t let it….getting bit again.
He finally grabbed his sister and whilst shielding her, led her to safety.
The horrified parents of their friend responded immediately by applying pressure and calling for paramedics.
Said his mom Teila, “We are forever and sincerely grateful for the love and care” the dog’s owners provided.
It may sound strange, but as the families sat waiting for EMT’s to stabilise Bridger, my wife and I felt a strong spirit of love for all involved.
I’d also like to mention here that the dog’s owners are really great people who have been nothing but kind to Bridger and his family. We feel no resentment toward them at all, and, if anything, there’s only been an increase of love between our families as a result of this incident.”
Bridger was taken into surgery, which ended with 90 stitches.
When his father asked him what happened, he responded with,
”If someone had to die, i thought it should be me.”
Superhero material.
It just so happens that Bridger is a big fan of all things Avengers.
And it just so happened that members of the Avengers heard about this, and like Flash, they bolted into action.
Anne Hathaway read about it on Instagram and responded in kind.
“I’m not an Avenger, but I know a superhero when I see one,” Hathaway wrote on Instagram alongside photos of Bridger and his sister. “I can only hope I’m half as brave in my life as you are in yours, Bridger. Wishing you an easeful recovery, and many cool looking rocks. Hey @markruffalo, do you need a teammate??”
From the Chronicle….
Hulk star Mark Ruffalo was one of the first celebrities to respond, praising the child’s “courage” and “heart”.
Thor actor Chris Hemsworth described him as an “absolute inspiration” and said “your courage is beyond belief and we are all so impressed by you.”
“We’d be honoured to have you on the teammate, we love you and we’re sending you our support.”
Captain America star Chris Evans went a step further by making a personalised video message for the youngster, which his aunt also shared on Instagram.
“Wow, you’re a hero. What you did was so brave, so selfless – your sister is so lucky to have you as a big brother. Your parents must be so proud of you.
“I’m going to track down your address and I’m going to send you an authentic Captain America shield because pal, you deserve it.”
Bridger was invited to the set of the coming Spiderman movie so that these actors that play superheroes would be inspired by the presence of a true, real-life superhero.
He comes from superhero stock.
When his parent were asked if they had a message they would spread to the “entire world” if they could, they responded…..
“After Bridger’s actions, our family has settled on a simple request: may we each actively strive to bear one another’s burdens, stand up for and protect those who are weak, oppressed or those whom the world might forsake.”
Yup, damn fine stock that this young man hails from.
As an aside, according to the Cheyenne Animal Shelter, "At the dog owner's request, we provided humane end-of-life services to the dog.
It is always both terrifying and sad when these situations occur," said Sue Castaneda, CEO of the Cheyenne Animal Shelter. "Our hearts go out to the boy and his family as well as to the pet owners."
This is one instance when there are no ‘bad guys’.
Just good neighbors….good people….dealing with a very bad situation.
And these instances are more common than one is led to believe.