Meet Speedy Walker: King of the Krewe of Champions

Ray “Speedy” Walker was the reigning king of the George Washington Carver High School basketball court. As a senior, he was setting his sights on playing ball at college when a tragic car accident dramatically changed his game. Speedy tragically lost his biggest supporter, his mom, and his doting aunt in the accident, and he sustained multiple fractures along with a spinal cord injury that would prevent him from ever walking again.

Two weeks after the accident, and during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Speedy was transferred to the pediatric intensive care unit at Children’s Hospital New Orleans. Feeling as though his life was over, lonely, and in the depths of despair, he began to draw strength from the memory of his mother, knowing she would never want him to give up.

Speedy sought encouragement from his family, friends, teachers, and coaches, and he recognized that the more effort he put into his recovery, the more he progressed. With the help of his Children’s Hospital medical team, he moved to the hospital’s rehabilitation unit and focused on a new goal—being the strongest Speedy possible.

Speedy left Children’s Hospital 75 days after he arrived. Going out into the world confined to a wheelchair was challenging for him, yet he continued to build strength and confidence. He began training at Split Second Fitness, a gym for people with physical disabilities, and shared the story of his comeback on social media. Speedy drew national attention when he was featured on the hit makeover show, Queer Eye, released on Netflix in May 2023. From the inside out, the “Fab Five” breathed new life into Speedy and surprised him with a furnished, accessible apartment that they financed for one year.

No longer avoiding the public eye and equipped with a strong sense of purpose, Speedy has become a social media ambassador, inspiring and motivating others to get better every day, just as he continues to do. He is pursuing a degree from Delgado Community College to sharpen his business skills. And while he is no longer holding court on Children’s Hospital’s rehabilitation unit, Speedy rises to new heights as the hospital’s King of the Krewe of Champions - one of the hospital's extraordinary Giving Krewes.