Bridger Walker, a brave older brother, saves his sister from a dog attack; he undergoes multiple surgeries and is proud of his scars.
Braveheart Bridger Walker, a 6-year-old boy from Cheyenne, Wyoming, was praised as a hero by the world when he jumped in front of a German Shepard to protect his younger sister from being attacked in 2020.
However, Bridger, who was left needing 90 stitches to fix the damage on his face, simply reasoned his actions with, “If someone had to die, I thought it should be me.”
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Now, Bridger’s dad, Robert Walker, tells PEOPLE that he still stands by those words and doesn’t see his scar as representative of his brave act.
He just perceives it as, “I was a brother and that’s what brothers do.”The young lad is actually proud of his scars.
The selfless attitude displayed by the young lad captured the hearts of millions around the world.
When his aunt, Nikki Walker, posted about the incident on Instagram, the incredible story went viral, with stars across Hollywood, including the Avengers cast, Chris Evans (Captain America), Mark Ruffalo (The Hulk), and Brie Larson (Captain Marvel) taking the time to praise the little boy.
Strangers across the globe also wrote the little boy letters and sent meaningful gifts to show their support.
One of the attention Bridger garnered was from New York City-based dermatologist Dr. Dhaval Bhanusali, who offered to fly him to his office and provide treatment for free. The Walkers took up Bhanusali’s offer and flew to New York, where Bridger underwent two laser procedures.
When cross-country travel became tricky amid the pandemic, Bridger started seeing Utah-based dermatologist Dr. Cory B. Maughan, who performed two more procedures on him.
All of them have since helped reduce Bridger’s scarring and bring back his smile and morale.
In a year, Dr. Bhanusali and Dr. Maughan were able to take care of Bridger’s scarring almost completely.
Robert and Bhanusali say that while the treatments aren’t “the easiest for a little guy to go through,” Bridger “took it like a champion.” They want him to smile naturally like himself, not like a muted version of himself.
Today, Bridger is waiting to see how the bottom half of his scar reacts to the last procedure before moving forward with additional treatments.
Though there is some redness and tightening of the subdermal scarring that will be addressed, Robert and Bhanusali say all looks promising.
They still have a little bit more work to do on the superficial, redness part of it, but structurally everything looks so much better.
As Bridger continues to heal, Robert finds joy in watching his “brilliant little boy” return to his normal, “fun, gregarious, and full-of-life” self.
Bhanusali has witnessed it too: “You can see his personality, you can see his happiness and joy. When you can look in his eyes, there’s a different human being.”
Robert is forever grateful to the people who showed his family so much support during the last year.
Bridger was also honored with the Rocky Mountain Hero of the Year award from the American Red Cross. You can catch the young lad on his YouTube channel Bridger Buddies to see his healed version.
