Wyoming boy, 6, who saved sister from charging dog and got 90 stitches after bitten several times hailed a hero
CHEYENNE, WYOMING: A six-year-old boy saved his younger sister from a vicious dog attack, and in the process, was bitten several times, leaving him needing close to 100 stitches.
The remarkable story was shared on Instagram by the children's aunt, Nikki Walker, who said her nephew, Bridger Walker, did not hesitate for a moment when it came to putting his life on the line for his sibling.
Walker said the attack happened on Thursday, July 9, and that Bridger saved his sister's life by standing between her and a charging dog. The dog attacked him instead and bit him several times on the face and head.
But Bridger did not give up, Walker said. The six-year-old managed to grab his sister's hand and ran with her to keep her safe. She shared that, when he was asked why he risked so much for his sister, he replied, "If someone had to die, I thought it should be me."
Walker shared a picture of her nephew after the attack that showed significant injuries to his face that required several stitches. She said he needed around 90 stitches from a skilled plastic surgeon to repair the damage but said he was doing well now. She said she visited his home to check up on him and found him in high spirits. " His wounds are looking so much better!" she wrote. "He’s in great spirits, and his awesome personality is intact. He can’t smile too widely yet, but he was grinning as I read some of your comments to him."
Walker went on to defend the dog's owners, who she insisted were "really great people" who had 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," she said. The aunt revealed that the young boy's family had been inundated with requests offering financial help but that they wanted any donations to be made to veterans group Mission 22 or Wounded Warrior Project instead. She also said they could send Bridger rocks because he was fascinated with geology.
"Bridger is also a huge fan of Science, especially Geology. So I’m going to start a post where people can share with him pictures of cool rocks that they see. Once again, everyone’s kindness has meant so much to us. I’m trying to get to all of the messages that I can, but it may take some time," she wrote, before sharing an address where the rocks could be mailed.
Walker said she hoped her nephew's story will reach the Avengers and tagged some of the Marvel franchise's actors in the story, including Tom Holland, Chris Hemsworth, Robert Downey Jr, Mark Ruffalo and Chris Evans, in the hope they would respond. Ruffalo delivered, lauding Bridger for his bravery in a heartwarming post. "Dear Bridger, I just read about what happened to you and I wanted to reach out to say this... People who put the well beings of others in front of themselves are the most heroic and thoughtful people I know," the actor wrote. "I truly respect and admire your courage and your heart. Real courage isn’t dominating people or fighting against people or walking around like a tough guy. Real courage is knowing what is right to do and doing it even when it might end up hurting you somehow. You are more of man than many, many I have seen or known."