Brad Hall wasn’t supposed to walk; now he’s running miles for another

DANIEL CLIFTON • PICAYUNE EDITOR

SPICEWOOD — The stretch of Texas 71 between the U.S. 281 intersection and Spicewood isn’t particularly desolate if you’re racing down the road at 70 mph, but for Brad Hall, who tackled the stretch one step at a time Nov. 19, the distance takes on an entirely different appearance.

“Yeah, it does feel a bit lonely when you’re out there running by yourself,” Hall said. “But I’m doing it for a good cause, so I just keep going.”

Hall, 34, ran the distance to raise awareness of the plight of Spicewood resident Bernell Sample. On Sept. 28, the young lady was returning home from Bryan-College Station on Texas 21 when a car swerved into her path. Sample’s vehicle collided with the other car. The driver of the second vehicle died, while Sample suffered major injuries that required a hospital stay, multiple surgeries and rehabilitation

Hall didn’t know Sample at the time of the accident.

“When I heard her story, I just knew I had to pray for her and her family,” he said. During a trip to the hospital where Sample was being treated, Hall met the 19-year-old’s parents, Trent and Laura Sample of Spicewood. “We just connected.”

The younger Sample is now undergoing rehabilitation, and her family’s medical expenses are mounting. So on Oct. 30, Hall decided to do something for them.

He went for a run.

Hall started out just south of the Lake Marble Falls bridge on U.S. 281 before the sun even crept above the horizon, then began running to the Sample’s home 20-plus miles away. Until that date, the farthest he’d ever run was 13.1 miles, a half-marathon. In fact, Hall had completed the Run the Hill Country half-marathon just 11 days prior to this endeavor.

“I wanted to do something for the Samples, and so I turned to something I’m good at: running,” Hall said.

Which is remarkable in itself considering that when Hall came into this world, doctors told his mother to institutionalize him. Hall was born with spina bifida myelomeningocele, which basically means his backbone and spinal canal didn’t close before birth. The doctors told his mother that Hall wouldn’t walk and would likely be “a vegetable.”

His family, however, went against the medical staff’s recommendation.

Stacee Hopkins, Hall’s older sister, explained the home-strategy. Hopkins is an employee of Victory Publishing, which owns The Picayune.

“It was Cheetos and a baton,” she said. Hall’s brother, Blake Oustad, and Hopkins would hold the twirling baton between them while Hall gripped it with both both hands along the center. Then, using Cheetos as a reward, the two siblings would “walk” Hall along.

“Eventually, we would let go of the ends, but he would just keep holding onto the baton like we still had it and walk,” Hopkins said. Then, the siblings stopped offering the baton at all. At first, Hall kept his hands extended out in front of him as if still holding the baton.

“During a doctor’s visit, the doctor asked my mom where Brad was,” Hopkins said. Hall was right there standing next to his mother, not something the doctor was expecting. “We pointed and said, ‘He’s right there.’ The doctor couldn’t believe it.”

Along with the spina bifida, Hall was born with one kidney. Between the two conditions, Hall estimated he’s underwent more than a 100 surgeries, many as a youth attending school. This included a kidney transplant at 11 and another at 21.

“Why am I walking? I don’t know why,” he said. “It’s just a miracle I guess. There’s no other explanation.”

The health issues plagued Hall, but he didn’t let it define him or hold him back. His faith in God keeps him focused on shattering barriers.

“Yeah, it’s not always easy and, yes, I could and have used my health as an excuse,” Hall said. “But in the end, life’s too short to just give up. God doesn’t want quitters. You just have to keep trying. And that’s what I do.”

Despite his health challenges — he still finds himself in the hospital several times a year — Hall has earned his emergency medical technician and firefighter certifications. The fire school, he said, was one of the most physically challenging things he’s ever faced. But he completed it and earned his certificate.

And just to keep challenging himself and growing, as well as demonstrating what God can do through a person, Hall decided to take up running two years ago. That’s right, he’s pushing his body to 20-mile distances with about two years of training.

“I didn’t really start out to run,” he said. “I just decided to just go for a walk.”

The first walk was simply down to the road and back, then a little farther. Then Hall decided to add a little jogging to the mix. Hall found solace and strength in the freedom running brought. He could just head out and go where he pleased. If he came to an intersection or a road, Hall simply decided to go left, right or straight. He doesn’t follow a particular training regime. He just tries to go four to five miles several days a week with longer distances on Saturdays.

Before long, he wasn’t just running, but tackling half-marathons. In the past two years, he’s completed several half-marathons with the goal of finishing seven by the end of 2014. His first half-marathon was the inaugural Run the Hill Country in 2013 in Marble Falls.

This year, he decided to run it again. But then about a week before race, Hall landed in the hospital for several days. When he got out, just a few days before the Oct. 19 half-marathon, Hall considered sitting it out.

“Then I realized I couldn’t afford just letting the entry fee go,” Hall said with a laugh. So just three or four days out of the hospital, Hall tackled the 13.1-mile course, which included several challenging hills just north of Marble Falls. Despite the hospital stay, Hall completed the run in 2:48, 21 minutes faster than the previous year.

“I’m not fast, but I don’t quit,” Hall said.

Eleven days later, Hall decided to run for Bernell Sample and her family. The distance stretched out several miles farther than he’d ever gone before. But he wasn’t going to surrender to the pain and discomfort. With Christian music playing through his earphones, Hall set his pace with the rhythm and kept going.

When he finished, Hall completed just more than 20 mlles, but he also helped spread the word of Bernell’s story.

But not one to just do something once, Hall decided to make the run again on Nov. 19. The cold weather gave way to warmer temperatures and sun. So about 11:30 a.m., Hall got out of his car, put in his earphones and took off, putting one foot in front of the other.

He made it 14 miles before his allergies got the best of him. Despite not making it to the Sample’s Spicewood home and hitting the 20-mile mark, Hall wasn’t dejected. Instead, considering doctors told his mother he wouldn’t walk, a 14-mile run on a beautiful fall day was something worth celebrating — one step at a time.

And he’ll probably do it again as long as Bernell or somebody else needs help.

For more information on Bernell Sample or to help her family, go to www.gofundme.com and type in “Bernells Fund” or “Bernell Sample” in the search area.

daniel@thepicayune.com