Johnny Braud likes to stay on the move, and that makes these days more than a bit tougher than usual for the Harry Hurst Middle School coach and health/physical education teacher.
He’s been a runner through and through since his college days, when he developed a love for it and the great positive effect it had on him both mentally and physically. But he was active long before that, an athlete growing up who prepped at Covington High School.
For the time being, however, Braud is in a position he’s mostly unaccustomed to: stationary, as he recovers from a broken leg he suffered recently. The injury was significant and, as Braud put it, a bit of a freak accident during P.E. class.
“I was being active with the kids and running … I went to change directions and it just crumbled on me,” Braud said. “It was really kind of a freak thing – it just snapped. The doctor who’s doing my surgeries said he’s only seen this injury from falls from high heights and motorcycle and car accidents. He said he’d never seen it from running before.”
Braud’s kept in good spirits despite the injury, but also said it’s generally tough for him to slow down, let alone to stop completely – it’s not the easiest thing to navigate through.
“The toughest part, probably – I’m a go, go, go person,” said Braud. “Anybody that knows me knows I really don’t have an off-switch. I just go. I coach rec volleyball, and one of the moms told me ‘I’m going to call you ABC – Always Be Coaching.’ And that’s basically what I do. I’m always coaching, or exercising, or doing something with the kids. I do have trouble hitting the off-switch.”
Keeping a positive attitude about things, he said, is made much easier by some amazing support from the people around him, including his wife Ashley.
“She’s basically gone from being a parent of three kids with another parent to taking care of four kids, including me, by herself,” Braud said.
Many others have stepped up to lend a helping hand or a show of support. Ashley’s bible study group organized a meal train to lessen some of the family’s burden. Parents of Braud’s students have also been among those donating meals.
“People have been texting Ashley, ‘what do you need? What can we help with?’” Braud said. “It just makes you feel the love of the community. The Saturday I came home, one of our neighbors was like, ‘Hey, we’re taking your kids to the zoo, and you’re not saying no.’ And my son ends up winning a bike at the zoo. The very next day, ‘hey, let me take one kid over here to hang out. Let me take the kids to the birthday party.’ We have one mom taking our daughter to dance two nights a week until I’m back at it. Neighbors cutting the grass.
“It’s been anything and everything. ‘Hey, let me help you with this.’ And it’s been amazing. It’s been so helpful and it adds up fast, especially when you’re immobile. I’m just so thankful. I can’t begin to describe how thankful I am … I never would have guessed this many people would have said, ‘Hey, we got you, we got you.’ And it’s so reassuring and comforting.”
Though he’s used to being on the go, he does have some recent experience of being on the mend and off his feet.
Braud was diagnosed with a lower back condition four years ago – something he’d lived with since birth but had been unaware of until nerve pain spurred him to seek out a medical opinion. He ultimately needed spinal fusion surgery and had two rods and four screws placed into his lower back.
“That was a very hard recovery. The doctor said that I probably wouldn’t be running marathons anymore,” Braud said.
While marathon running wasn’t in his future, other fitness and running avenues were still an option. Prior to his leg injury, Braud was well into training for HYROX, a competitive fitness event in Chicago this November in which Braud would be running and raising money for charity.
“I was in the best shape I’ve ever been in,” Braud said. “It wasn’t five minutes after (the injury) happened that I realized, wow, I’m not going to be able to do the race. I was working my tail off and put a lot of time and energy into that … that was tough to swallow.”
The experience of rehabbing his back injury, however, left him more mentally prepared to deal with this current setback.
“You learn and you grow from the challenges you face,” Braud said. “I’m very thankful for all the challenges God has put in my path so far because they just make you a better version of yourself.”
He’s looking very forward to the day he can return to his students at Hurst.
“I know I’ll be off of my leg definitely for two months,” Braud said. “But as soon as I can get on a scooter, I’ll be back out there on the field coaching them up. I find so much joy in it and I can’t wait to get back out there.”
