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kelly garner
Governor Robert Bentley shakes hands with Vestavia Hills resident Kelly Garner, who was honored at the Alabama State House on Thursday, June 4.
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Kelly Garner stands with Alabama Representative Jack Williams.
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Governor Robert Bentley stands with Kelly Garner.
On Thursday, June 4, local hero Kelly Garner was recognized at the State House in Montgomery for his efforts during the January 2014 winter storms in Birmingham.
Garner was invited to sit in the gallery during the session. As part of House Resolution 338, he was recognized for putting his community before himself.
Following the resolution, everyone in the room stood up and applauded Garner. He said the experience gave him goosebumps.
"It was a magical day," he said. "It was a different feeling than I've had during this whole process."
After a winter storm hit Birmingham on January 28, 2014, Garner began helping stranded motorists near the Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market shopping center on U.S. 31.
“I just jumped in and started helping, one car after another,” Garner recalled.
Kelly has been a Type 1 diabetic since he was 9 years old. That’s why his oldest sister, Charlotte Garner Carter, was worried when the family received an unusual call from him repeating the same sentence over and over.
Kelly did not make it home that evening. His Panorama Drive neighbors formed a search team that eventually spotted him at the bottom of a 40-foot-deep ravine near the Library in the Forest the following morning.
His doctors described his recovery as miraculous. Garner was invited to be the surprise guest at the UAB Trauma Symposium this past fall. In October, Garner ran the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure 5K. In November, he ran the Vulcan Run 10K in downtown Birmingham. February’s Mercedes Half-Marathon marked his biggest achievement to date.
Garner is currently employed at Royal Automotive and in the process of writing a book about his experience, tentatively titled The Night that Changed My Life.
"I have worked on this thoroughly and hope my hard work will pay off," Garner said.
A copy of House Resolution 338 can be found here.
