Josh Hinton listens to Alex Boye hymns as he lay paralyzed in the ER in August 2015. (Ashlyn Hinton)
Alex Boye announced he would dedicate his Tooele, Utah, concert to BYU student Josh Hinton who almost died in a bounce house accident in fall 2015 at a new student orientation.
Hinton's unfortunate accident in a bounce house sent him to the hospital with a life-threatening injury, but his condition has improved dramatically in the past seven months.
One of the first miracles happened as Hinton lay in the ER struggling to breathe.
'See his cute little iPhone by his ear!' said Jenifer Hinton, Josh's mom, in a Facebook post soon after Josh was hospitalized. 'It's playing Alex Boye hymns in his ear! Calms him so he can relax & not fight the ventilator!'
Boye said on Facebook he would dedicate his March 12 performance to Josh Hinton, a 'stud' and 'a truly brave soul.'
'(Josh Hinton) understands the real power that can come through music,' Boye said.
At the concert, Boye invited Josh to 'share his heart.'
'Going through this, a lot of times I feel like in order to cope I just have to shut down,' Hinton said. 'There is a balance in everything, and you don't stop being happy and just ignore the sadness in life.'
Boye continued to talk to Josh and the crowd explaining this wasn't a normal concert.
'I don't know if you realize it, but you bring (people in similar circumstances) out of that sadness,' Boye said. 'You bring them some joy and some hope. You let them know that 'You know what, I can fight this, I can fight what I'm going through.''
Boye shared his last memory of Hinton in the ER when Hinton couldn't move his arms or legs. Boye talked about the miracles and the power of prayer and his confidence that Hinton would get better.
'I just want to tell you I love you, and I just want to tell you I'm so happy to be here,' Boye said. 'I'm so glad I could see you dear brother, I love you.'
Alex Boye first met Hinton just before Hinton left for a rehabilitation hospital in Colorado. Family and doctors called Hinton's recovery journey miraculous. Despite originally being told he was going to be paralyzed from the chest down, Hinton was able to gain movement and control in his arms and hands.
Hinton allowed his time in Colorado to be broadcast to the world through the Team Hinton Facebook page. Jenifer regularly posted videos of her son and his reflections.
“I think people should like themselves more,' Hinton said. 'My body doesn’t even work, and I still like myself. Even if just smiling right now is what I can do, then I’m going to do it. It brings me joy.'
Josh Hinton is 'walked' by physical therapists at Neuroworx. Near the end of February therapists determined that Josh would benefit from this exercise two to three times a week. (Jenifer Hinton)
The 3,560 members of the Team Hinton group continue to watch Hinton's recovery. Many are cheering for him and thank him for his smile.
'Love the smile at the end. Thank you for giving me the perspective I needed.' commented Kelly Aguilar Nunes after Jenifer posted a video of Josh trying to sit up on his own. 'We complain about so much that is really so insignificant. Gratitude for small and simple things!! Good work! You're awesome!!'
Nunes isn't the only one who appreciated and admires Hinton's determination to overcome.
'Every time I watch him struggling I think, 'How does he keep going?'' commented Maryclare Lewis on the Team Hinton Facebook page. 'I am in awe of this very special young man and his mission!'
Since returning to Utah in December, Hinton has been attending Neuroworx, an outpatient paralysis care facility. They have been helping Hinton sit up on his own and build upper body strength.
For one of his exercises, Hinton wears a harness device that moves his legs for him as if he were walking. On March 1, Jenifer posted that the physical therapists have 'walked' Hinton three times and were trying to decide if this exercise would be beneficial. What they were looking for did happen and now Hinton will be 'walking' two to three times a week.