July 17 marks the one-year anniversary of Clanton native and musician Austin Childress’ nearly fatal motorcycle wreck.

Last July, Childress was thrown from his bike after being hit head-on by a driver who had fallen asleep at the wheel and swerved into oncoming traffic.

Today, Childress is fully recovered. He’s back to work and even playing the guitar again, and he plans to tell of his journey at New Life Community Church, next to Baugh Ford, on July 8 at 10:30 a.m.

Longtime friend and pastor Scott Springer recalled of the first 72 hours following the accident, “The doctors didn’t expect him to live.” They were simply trying to get Childress to respond to basic motor commands like “wiggle your toes.”

Childress’ road to recovery was a long one, but eventually he was able to sustain himself without the aid of a breathing machine or tracheotomy.

“There were several days where we didn’t know if he would make it. To see how he’s gone from one extreme to the other is incredible. It was a miracle. We called him our Miracle Man,” said Springer.

“When you pray with faith, you never know what can happen,” Springer continued. “God has a purpose for Austin’s life, and it has been incredible to be witness to that. At one point we thought we would lose him—it’s amazing to see how far he’s come.”