A very courageous 6-year old has made headlines for saving his sister from a charging dog. His story has gone viral like every heroic story should too! After his aunt, Nicole Walker, posted the story on her Instagram account and requested for a shout out from The Avengers, the story quickly picked up and got the attention of some very big stars.
6-year old Bridger Walker, who lives in Cheyenne, Wyoming, was walking into a yard when they bumped into the “nice dog” and the “mean dog” of the neighbors as they call them, when ‘the mean one’ ran towards them. Bridger explained in his own words that he “stepped to the side, in front of my sister so that the dog wouldn’t get to her. I kept moving, so it couldn’t get past.”
But this is when the dog jumped up and ending up latching on to Bridger’s cheek, all the while the little boy yelled “RUN!” to his 4-year old sister so she wouldn’t get hurt. Once the dog let go of Bridger’s cheek, the two of them ran away “to a more secure part of the yard where he thought they would be safe,” as explained by the parents. The neighbor, who’s the owner of the dog, eventually secured it and called for urgent medical care as he tried to stop the bleeding from the bite.
The boy was taken into a two-hour surgery and received up to 90 stitches. But despite the tragic turn of the events, not only did he keep his younger sister safe, but Bridger’s incredibly heroic heart was going to shine through. When asked why he did what he did, the little boy explained, “If someone was going to die, I thought it should be me.”
Soon after, Bridger’s aunt, otherwise known as Nikki, posted about her nephew on her IG account. In her post, she tagged a number of stars from the Marvel Comics Universe to give a simple shout out for the boy while he was in recovery. Bridger’s story spread quickly and made its way to the eyes and ears of a number of huge Hollywood stars.
Anne Hathaway, who played Catwoman in the DC Movie franchise of Batman, The Dark Knight Rises. She wrote on her IG page, “I’m not an Avenger, but I know a superhero when I see one. I can only hope I’m half as brave in my life as you are in yours, Bridger. Wishing you an easeful recovery, and many cool looking rocks,” since his aunt mentioned how much he loves rocks. She then went on to tag her friend Mark Ruffalo, who plays the Hulk in The Avengers movies.
Mark Ruffalo was quick to respond on Instagram, sending Bridger some kind words and tons of praise that the boy truly deserves. A portion of what he wrote said, “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.”
Meanwhile, Australian actor Chris Hemsworth, who plays the part of Thor in the Avengers clan, also told Bridger that he was “an absolute inspiration, your courage is beyond belief and we’re all so inspired by you.” He also said “We’d be honored to have you on the team mate, we love you and we’re sending you our support so stay strong and we’ll talk to you soon mate.”
But it would seem that Chris Evans, who plays the role of Captain America, went even further than his Avengers teammates, . He also surprised Bridger with a video saying, “Captain America here, so I read your story, I saw what you did and I’m sure you heard a lot of this over the last couple days, but let me be the next one to tell you, pal, you’re a hero. What you did was so brave, so selfless – your sister is so lucky to have you as a big brother. Your parents must be so proud of you.” He then added, “I’m going to track down your address and I’m going to send you an authentic Captain America shield because pal, you deserve it.”
If that wasn’t amazing enough, apparently Tom Holland, who plays Spiderman in the films, actually called the young boy up and personally spoke to him. He told Bridger, “you are so brave, mate, and we are all so proud of you… it’s not easy what you did, mate, you should be so proud of yourself!”
And the videos didn’t stop there. Other actors like Zachary Levi and Hugh Jackman and Robbie Amell also sent messages for the young hero. Another A-lister, Robert Downey Jr. who plays none other than Tony Stark, aka IronMan, in the Avengers sent him a video saying, “Bridger, you’re a Rockstar.” He then went on to say, “I hear we sent a shield your way. I’m gonna do one better. You call me on your next birthday. I got something special for you.”
The original IG post that his Aunt Nikki shared has gotten over 300,000 reactions and at least 8,000 comments from people all over the world, including a number of other big celebrities. But since then, his story has been shared millions of times and netizens have been asking Nikki where they can send fossils, rocks and gifts to the boy, as well as making drawings and tributes to the young and blonde-haired hero telling him how incredible he is.
In one of Nikki’s new posts, she explains how completely overwhelmed and grateful they are for all the love and support for Bridger. She shares, “If there are words adequate enough to express our gratitude, I do not know them. Thank you for the words of encouragement. Thank you for the rock pictures. Thank you for the artwork and songs. Thank you for honoring Bridger by donating to @mission_22, @ourrescue, and @wwp.”
Thankfully, there is no bad blood between Bridger’s family and their neighbors that own the dog. In fact, Bridger’s father had even said that during the time that the accident took place, “It may sound strange, but as the families sat waiting for EMT’s to stabilize Bridger, my wife and I felt a strong spirit of love for all involved.”
Bridger’s parents also expressed their thankfulness to the dog’s owners, explaining that they are “forever and sincerely grateful for the love and care” they gave to their son. The accident took place back on July 9 and until now, Bridger is still feeling the love from everyone all over the world.
To see the full recount of what happened, see Nikki’s post here.
What are your thoughts? Please comment below and share this news!
True Activist / Report a typo
