Don Bratton
Don Bratton shouldn’t be alive.
He should have died in 1980 when his motorcycle broke apart while he was riding it. He should have died in 1983 when an armed robber shot him in the face at point-blank range. He should have died in 1994 when he sustained a brain injury from a freak car accident.
He should have died, but he didn’t. And Don’s done more than simply survive these near-tragedies – any one of which would have crushed the spirit of a lesser person. He’s found a purpose in life: Helping others.
Today, Don’s a personal trainer at the Downtown Dallas YMCA and he helps others strengthen their bodies and believe in themselves – something he knows a lot about.
Don was 16 years old when he had the motorcycle accident in 1980. It left him with five fractures in his left leg. He battled back from the injury and was able to walk unassisted across the stage to graduate from Dallas’ Bryan Adams High School in 1982.
The next year, Don was shot after being robbed in a restaurant parking lot. The bullet went through his nose and into his spinal cord on the left side. The injury numbed his right side and partially paralyzed his left arm and leg. Within five months of the shooting, Don was walking without a cane.
Eleven years later, Don had landed his dream job as a jet engine mechanic with Microturbo in Grand Prairie, and was attending night school at the University of North Texas. A bizarre car accident on the evening of May 10, 1994, left Don in a 21-day coma. He lost 61 pounds and emerged from the coma with a permanent brain injury.
After months of relearning basic skills, physical therapy and psychological counseling, Don was ready for the next challenge. He enrolled in Richland’s Total Re-Integration Program, which is especially designed for people with brain injuries. Don conquered academia and graduated with an associate’s degree in 1998.
He went on to earn a certificate in Physical Fitness Technology from North Lake College and become a Certified Personal Trainer through the American Council on Exercise.
The following is an excerpt from a poem Don wrote during his studies at Richland. Nothing could say it better.
I am a healthy young man with a bright future. I wonder why tragic events happen to good people. I hear the sound of the wind blowing on the earth. I see the little blue planet earth from the cosmos. I want to help people learn how to get stronger. I am a healthy man, with a bright future.