Tory Johnson is a third-generation cowboy, born and raised on an Oklahoma ranch. He has been part of the rodeo circuit since he was a young boy, rising to the top of the sport.
Tory Johnson is a third-generation cowboy, born and raised on an Oklahoma ranch. He has been part of the rodeo circuit since he was a young boy, rising to the top of the sport.
In fact, it was in a championship round that Johnson endured a devastating injury. “On May 11, in Corpus Christi, Tex., I was in a bad rodeo accident,” he explains. “I was steer wrestling in the championship round. I was chasing the steer and went to get off when everything just went white.”
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Johnson suffered a severe head injury, sustaining three skull fractures. “I had a fracture in my eye socket, broke everything in my right ear that controlled my hearing and balance and had a spinal fluid leak.”
But despite facing a long and challenging recovery, he was determined to get back on the horse both figuratively and literally speaking. That is what led him to the INTEGRIS Health Jim Thorpe Rehabilitation outpatient clinic at INTEGRIS Health Baptist Medical Center.
“I feel like this facility has been a good blessing to me,” Johnson proclaims. “I had a chance to go to several other facilities, but this is the one I chose because my doctor said that Terry was going to be the best thing for me and that she was the best in the state of Oklahoma.”
He jokes that she is just as bull-headed as him. “She’s been strong. She don’t let me cut no corners. I couldn’t ask for a better therapist.”
“Tory is stubborn and that can be a good thing when you’re coming back from this type of injury,” says Terry Tatarian, a physical therapist with INTEGRIS Health Jim Thorpe Rehabilitation.
Tatarian says Johnson is a fighter and she has no doubt he will be successful in whatever he does next.
“My number one goal is I plan to get back in the arena one day, but I’m not gonna rush it.” And he says if that’s just not in the cards for him, then he will find other ways to inspire the next generation of cowboys.
“A lot of kids want to learn how to steer wrestle, rope calves or just be a rancher, and I think that’s the kind of things I’m gonna do once I’m done rodeoing. And if this is where I’m done then that’s where I’m gonna start.”
Your recovery is important to us. At our locations throughout the state, we take a team approach in helping you meet your rehabilitation goals so you can return to a healthy and active lifestyle.
