Paraplegic Veteran Surprises Bride with Dance

FISHERS, Ind. — Sgt. Joe Johnson, who served in Afghanistan, pulled off a wedding surprise his wife Michelle will never forget. He joined her for their first dance without a wheelchair! According to WXIN, Johnson, 27, suffered a spinal cord injury in a motorcycle accident shortly after returning from overseas. He suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder after serving in Afghanistan and rode motorcycles for the rush. He can’t feel anything below his chest and is confined to a wheelchair. Michelle is a wedding planner in Fishers and planned their whole wedding, but there was one special surprise she didn’t know about when they tied the knot in June. Johnson and his friends created a harness that would allow him to stand for their first dance. Jennifer Davis, the LinneaLiz photographer who snapped photos of the dance, said the bride couldn’t believe what she saw. “When Michelle walked in the whole room was quiet, she had no idea what was going on. She saw Joey standing and she had a giant smile on her face which quickly turned to tears. Everyone was in tears,” Davis recalled. “Joey had been planning the dance for months and having his military groomsman literally supporting him added even more to the emotion in the room. The dance was a beautiful moment to not only capture but to experience.” Their wedding was back in June, but the video of their special moment is getting noticed now after the couple did a recent interview on a national news show.