Michael Florida Jr. rose from his wheelchair a few weeks ago and, with the help of a cane and a woman assisting, mustered every ounce of strength he could and struggled down the aisle at his sister’s wedding.
Those 75 feet or so, he said, was the longest distance he had walked at one time in 10 years. He had been working hard in physical therapy for a year to try to get the strength to do it.
Nearly midway down the aisle, he missed a step and teetered on the brink of falling. You could feel the air leave the room. Then …
To be continued.
The wedding brought together two people who had dated since high school. Both have completed college and are in the workplace now. I have known the groom since he was a toddler. He used to call my wife and me Tee Eva and Tee Ed (I just let the Tee Ed go). I had come to know the bride over the years.
Once the music began, it seemed like a regular big wedding. Except it wasn’t.
This was going to be a test of someone’s will. It was going to rip at folks’ emotions because so many things could go wrong. If it went badly, there would probably be lots of tears. The aftermath could be heartbreak for the groom, but especially the bride.
And then, 35-year-old Michael Florida Jr. was wheeled into the room. He has been confined to a wheelchair since he was shot about 11 years prior. First, he had to survive. And if that happened, the prospect of ever walking again was remote at best.
Early on, he was fed through a feeding tube and lived in a nursing home. The outlook was not good, his mother, Hazel Odom, said.
He continued a number of therapies and worked with a neurologist who said there was hope. This went on for years.
Then last year, when he found out his sister was going to be married, he decided, no matter what it took, that “I was going to walk down the aisle at my sister’s wedding.”
After months of effort, he did a practice walk the day before the wedding. The woman selected to walk with him, Ashara Grimes, said he did fine, but she was scared.
The neonatal intensive care nurse said, “I felt honored to be the one with him, but there was a lot going through my mind,” mainly what happens if he falls? “I was way out of my league.”
Minutes into the ceremony as the audience watched, Michael pushed himself out of the wheelchair, grabbed a cane, then relied on Ashara to hold his other side.
“I was kind of scared,” his mother said.
The arduous, unsteady walk started. There were small steps, sometimes side to side, still moving forward in inches.
Then, what people feared seemed to be happening.
“I just missed a step,” he said, “but I didn’t think I was going to fall. I had missed a step before.”
Ashara held on to him while keeping a smile, aware though that this could be serious.
He praised her. “Being a nurse, she knew what she was doing. She actually made it work for me.”
Quickly, he righted himself. Eyes and emotions were riveted on him. You could feel the prayers for his success.
“Yes, I let some tears roll down my face,” his mother said as he continued.
Once the walk was over, I lightly applauded, with the intention right then to speak to him after the ceremony.
“Yeah, this is a struggle, both with the cane and the walker,” he said, adding that he prefers the cane. “But I said from the beginning that I was going walk down the aisle at her wedding.”
I wish I could show a video of his determination. It could be an inspiration to so many. He knows how tough life has been and will continue to be for him.
He said later, “I’m going to keep going. And, no, this is not easy. But my family is behind me and they keep supporting me. They won’t give up on me, and I surely won’t give up on them.”
Email Edward Pratt, a former newspaperman, at epratt1972@yahoo.com.