A warrior's comeback: Near death to 25K

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) - On May 3, 2009, Walter Catton went for a bike ride. He came home 40 days later.

About two miles from his Holland home, Catton nearly died after being hit by an SUV. Lying face down in a pool of blood, his body was a mess of mangled extremities.

On May 3, 2010, 39-year-old Catton is preparing to compete in Saturday's Fifth Third River Bank Run 25, a 15.5 mile race.

But the road to recovery wasn't an easy one.

The pain Catton experiences with each step he takes is tolerable.

"It's my new normal," he said.

It's not perfect. But it's better than the alternative.

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Holland detective Dave Blakely was one of the first people to arrive at the accident scene one year ago. He immediately noticed bone chips littering the ground and didn't think Catton had a chance at survival.

Blakely was off-duty that night, and with his son Peyton. When he heard the impact of the crash from a distance, the pair headed toward the sound. Once they arrived, Dave Blakely stopped the bleeding from Catton's severed femoral artery, and Peyton, an EMT major at Lake Superior State University, cleared an airway.

The Blakelys kept Catton alive until an ambulance arrived.

"After they got him stabilized, transported over to the chopper, I thought: He's in God's hands," Dave Blakely said.

As the detective and Peyton Blakely watched Aero Med take Catton away, they stopped and said a prayer.

A neighbor later told Catton she did the same thing when she saw the medical helicopter overhead. At the time, she had no idea it was Catton who she was praying for -- or just how badly he needed those prayers.

"Do you think, perhaps, all the prayer may have had as much to do with keeping him alive as the work that you, the EMTs and the doctors, did?" asked 24 Hour News 8.

Answered Dave Blakely: "Absolutely. And I would say that supersedes it."

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"The potential for loss of an extremity was quite high," said Dr. James Ringler, one of the doctors on Catton's trauma team at Spectrum Health. "In fact, the discussion I had with his wife that night was, there was a good chance we wouldn't be able to save his right leg."

But the doctors did it, as they were instrumental in saving Catton's leg.

Still, the extent of his injuries was so severe that rehab would be long and excruciatingly painful. He underwent 27 surgeries.

"There were times that I thought, it's easier for him to die and be with the Lord than it is for him to be on this earth," said Walter's wife, Kim Catton. "At some points, I felt selfish to ask God to keep him here."

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Before the accident, Walter Catton was driven; a business owner who spent long hours at the office. Before and after work, he trained as an endurance athlete.

"I very much looked at things (as) work, self, family and faith," Catton said. "And I kept them in that order. (I) had a very strong focus on my work and my training."

He was training for last year's River Bank Run and a triathlon when he was hit. Catton never dreamed he'd have to endure such a recovery -- and he never imagined the joy and happiness that could follow.

"My priorities today have completely inverted to be faith, family, self and work," he said.

After the accident, Catton couldn't work or train. As he healed, he had time to spend with his wife and children. He focused on them and reflected upon his values and priorities.

"(The crash) has changed my perspective and my outlook in a positive way," Catton said. "All the things you took for granted because they were always there, are more celebrated today than they were."

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Eighty days after his body was ravaged, Catton took his first steps; 150 days after the accident, he went running for the first time.

Step by painful step, he pushed his body -- and not just to the point of recovery.

"(It's about) not letting the accident and what happened to us define who I am," he said. "(I don't want to) look back and say, 'well, I would do this IF this hadn't happened.' I never want that to be words that I use."

Now, the music from his daughter's cello has never sounded sweeter. Hearing the laughter of his six children makes his spirit soar.

"I believe so firmly that the Lord had a plan and that however he's using me in this plan will continue to roll out," Catton said. "I don't know what my future holds, but I absolutely know who holds my future."

As as for Saturday's race?

"Not doing it isn't an option," Catton said. "(It's about) raising the bar for the kids to see, even if you're faced with a tough challenge and adversity. It can be overcome. And it will be overcome."

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On the Web:

Catton's Road Warriors blog

Fifth Third River Bank Run