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By Fred Guarino

The Lowndes Signal

“Go out there and give it your all because you’re never guaranteed the next play or the next game. You never know when your last time being on the field will be…”
Those are words of advice to his fellow Rebels from Trevor Johnson, the critically injured Lowndes Academy football player who defied the odds by surviving a vehicle accident on the way to football practice on Aug. 18 and again by being released from the hospital two months ahead of schedule.
Johnson walked out of Children’s Hospital in Birmingham on Friday, Sept. 9 on his own power, according to his mother, Sonya Johnson.
She said they drove directly from Birmingham to Lowndes Academy so that Trevor could see his teammates off for their game against Crenshaw Academy and to wish them luck.
Sonya Johnson said Trevor, 15, started rehab Tuesday, Sept. 13 at Baptist East in Montgomery. He turns 16, she said, on Sept. 21st.
Trevor is one of three sons to Brian and Sonya Johnson. They also have Keith age 19, and Jon, the Rebels’ current quarterback, age 16.
“He’s home for good now,” Sonya Johnson said said of Trevor. “We have several trips in the next two weeks to doctors.”
Johnson said Trevor suffered a brain bleed, fluid on the brain, three fractured bones in his neck, a fractured thoracic, fractured right scapula, right fractured clavicle, right broken ribs and his sternum is fractured.
She said Trevor is not taking pain meds but Tylenol and Motrin and is walking. And with a lot of rehab should have restored function to his right arm.
Johnson said the neurosurgeon told them to expect Trevor to be in the hospital for two if not three months. “But we were released in three weeks and one day from the day of the wreck,” she said.
According to Assistant Hayneville Police Chief Earl Marsh Jr., a DHL delivery vehicle “T-boned” a vehicle that was carrying four Lowndes Academy football players “causing two of the young men to be ejected.”
Marsh said at the time that two of the teens were treated and released at Baptist South in Montgomery with minor injuries, a third was being held at Baptist South for observation, and the teen who sustained the most serious injury (Trevor Johnson) was air lifted to Children’s Hospital in Birmingham.
Sonya Johnson added of his release from the hospital, “And he walked out on his own. They didn’t push him in a wheelchair. He said, ‘no mama I want to walk myself.'”
She said of Trevor, “He’s a miracle. God has worked miracles in his life.”
Sonya Johnson pointed out that doctors said he should have never survived the crash.
She said, “We are just truly blessed that we are here in this community because the love and the support from Hayneville from Lowndesboro from all this area has been unreal.”
Johnson said, “These people don’t know us. We were Edgewood Academy for three years and had just moved here… Trevor went to summer camp with the football team and four days of school when the wreck happened.”
She said, “They have opened their hearts to our family like they have known us our whole life.”
Johnson said,”Thank you for the love and the support and most of all the prayers and the AISA school system has been amazing in their support.” She said, “Even though we go to Lowndes, I can show you so much stuff that Clark Prep, Wilcox Academy, Crenshaw Christian, Chambers… all these schools have treated him like he was their own student. I have never been this proud of AISA as I am now.”
She also acknowledged the support from public schools like Holtville and Marbury and Catoma Baptist Church.
“We appreciate every that the they said, done prayed,” she said.
The Signal asked Sonya to ask Trevor what he would like to say to his fellow teammates at Lowndes Academy.
Here is the rest of his comments from the start of this article:
“But once you’re a part of the team, you will always be a part of the team.
“And even though I’m not able to play this year, the guys on my team have made me feel like I’m a part of all the victories so far. They have done great this year. I’m super proud of every single one of them. They are playing their hearts out.
“I miss being out there, but I know they are going to get the job done and find a way to be the last one standing.
“I want to thank my coaches for coming and staying over night with me at the hospital and for being there for me though all of it. Also, I want to thank everybody that has supported me throughout my injury, and I want to thank all the parents, principle, and the pee-wee, termite, jv and varsity players and
cheerleaders for all the signs and signed football jerseys, and all the different high schools and different teams for all the love and support and praying for me.
“All the praying has helped me, God has been by my side through the whole process, He has had His hand on me every since day one. I want to thank Lowndes Academy for accepting my brother and I into the school and into the family. I had only been at school for four days before the injury, but everybody has already made me feel like they’re my family. Everybody accepted me, and the football team accepted me into the brotherhood since day one and that’s what I like about Lowndes… everything is about brotherhood and everybody coming together as a family and leaving nobody out.
“Please keep praying! Love you guys!” — Trevor Johnson.