LEAWOOD, Kan. — Gary Walker thought his future was set in stone.
He made the commitment to serve his country with the U.S. Air Force right after meeting his wife in high school. But suddenly, what he had envisioned for his life came to an abrupt end.
While he was stationed in Europe, the Kansas City area native was injured in the line of duty, which required him to have two major back surgeries.
The surgeries ended his career, forcing him to retire from the Air Force.
"I just had to start over,” Walker said. “I had a wife and a kid to support.”
Though life didn’t stop for Walker, the pain from his war injuries constantly reared its ugly head.
"I was in a really dark place and contemplating suicide," he said.
Walker's mother, watching her son battling post-traumatic stress order, helped him find hope. She reminded him of the time that he created a painting for her when he was a teenager.
“I still have it and I want you to do another one for me," Walker recalled his mother saying.
Less than one day later, Walker had found his passion, as well as a way to cope with his PTSD.
"Just to calm my mind and the anxiety and everything I was struggling with. Painting made it go away," Walker said.
He now sells his paintings, with the majority of the proceeds going to local charities. He also donates his artwork to veterans groups, homeless shelters and organizations that work to prevent teen suicide.
"It was therapeutic because they would let me get up there and tell my story," Walker said.
Those stories show the pain and the beauty of his journey.
"After having 14 back surgeries, that I can sit for hours and paint and not think about the pain that I am in is a miracle,” he said. “That's a blessing from God this has happened. It literally saved my life."
To learn more about Walker and his artwork, click here.
