CRESTVIEW — Brotherhood of Love president and Crestview resident Gary Johnson credits the Lord with healing him after facing possible paralysis.
Johnson wore a cast and a bone-mobilizing neck brace to guard against further injury from a spinal cord contusion and herniated disk in his neck. He had emergency surgery to correct the condition last year.
He was advised to wear a cast until next year, but the doctor's office checked him out and released him.
He wasn't supposed to return to the doctor until July, but the doctor's office called him to come in during April instead. "They looked at my X-ray and wanted to do another MRI on me," he said. "When they did the MRI, they didn't see any signs or (paralysis), scars or bruises or anything. It was like somebody just waved a magic wand and everything just disappeared," Johnson said.
Johnson said he is grateful to God for healing him from that medical outlook.
Still, more challenges lie ahead.
While being treated for his spinal issues, and before emergency surgery, Okaloosa County Sheriff's deputies served Johnson with an arrest warrant Jan. 11, accusing him of signing a stolen vehicle's title and bill of sale as a witness, according to an OSCO report.
Johnson, who says he did not know the car was stolen at the time he witnessed the sale, said the arrest affected him financially — preventing him from putting food on the table, he said — and lowered his morale, he said.
But some Good Samaritans stepped in to help his household.
"I am so happy and so overwhelmed with the love that people have shown me while I'm going through this. There were times I and my wife didn't have food in the house, and people made time to bring us food and help us with our bills and stuff," he said.
Johnson's next court date is June 6.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview nonprofit founder thanks God, area supporters as he awaits next court date