October 1, 2026
KUTTAWA, Ky. (KT) — A severe leg injury — followed by two surgeries — has sidelined Macedonia Baptist Church Pastor Bryan Grigg. As he’s facing a three-month time of healing, he reflects on the goodness of God while dealing with a “traumatic life-changing injury.”
The leg break occurred on July 13 when Grigg slid into home plate during a church softball game. That slide resulted in a broken tibia and fibula in the ankle joint. He was taken to a Paducah hospital, but the break — which shattered his ankle joint into seven pieces — necessitated a flight to Vanderbilt that night.
His first surgery was the next day and involved stabilizing the bones and joint in a device for a week, to be followed later by a second surgery. The first operation was to last from three to four hours, but it wasn’t until seven-and-a-half hours later that Grigg’s wife, Krista, got word that he had been moved into recovery.
“She was really concerned because she wasn’t getting any updates. They literally put my leg together like a puzzle,” Bryan said, noting that the procedure involved a rod placed from his thigh to his ankle.
The doctors told him that he was to put no weight on the leg for the next several months or he could end up back at Vanderbilt Hospital.
Yet, in this trial, Bryan and Krista have seen the Lord at work.
“Basically, from the beginning to the end we were covered with prayer by the staff,” Bryan said. “It wasn’t just someone saying they would pray for me, but they prayed right there.”
“Our experience was great at both places (Vanderbilt Wilson County and Vanderbilt in Nashville),” wrote Krista in a Facebook post. “We met lots of great people. From the very first encounter to the last encounter — which included close to 50 different doctors, surgeons, nurses, techs, care partners, custodians — every single person was exceptional.”
One of the first people Bryan encountered was Doug, an x-ray tech in the emergency room waiting area. Krista wrote that Doug did his job, then “looked at Bryan and said, ‘Can I pray over you?’ And he did in the powerful name of Jesus.”
When he was being discharged from his first hospital stay, a nurse named Rachel grabbed Bryan and Krista’s hands and said, ‘Can I pray for you all?’ And she did in the powerful name of Jesus,” said Krista.
“When she finished, I told her about Doug (the x-ray tech) who she didn’t even know. We began and ended with prayer in that place, and it was so special. The Lord was with us through our brothers and sisters in Christ. I won’t forget it.”
Also not to be forgotten was a nurse Bryan had for three nights — a believer from South Korea who sang him Korean songs.
Bryan saw Dr. Paul Mitchell, a traumatologist/orthopedist at Vanderbilt’s downtown campus for the second surgery.
“Not everybody was eager to jump up to the plate and take this surgery on,” Bryan said. “But Dr. Mitchell was really confident, had a good bedside manner and a good outlook on things for me.”
The surgeon did warn Bryan that he would have “a change of life,” and joked that he would not be “the first to jump down the church waterslide.”
Bryan said another church has been gracious to help while he has been sidelined from preaching.
“Darrell Crawford (pastor of Living Hope Baptist Church in Hopkinsville) volunteered to send some of the preachers in his church to preach for me as long as needed, and they will pay the pulpit supply.” Bryan was grateful because, while preaching is not hard labor, it does take work, and the medication he is taking makes him sleepy.
With seven children in their home, Bryan understands “what a blessing Krista is. She is a great nurse, and we could not do life without her. She does everything from taking care of me to the kids going and doing everything. I can’t drive, and while several of the kids can drive, being the dependable driver is on Krista.”
Krista, who also works full-time as the finance officer for Lyon County, reflected on the experience in a Facebook post.
“Bryan is active with a capital A! I’m confident he will do whatever is necessary to get back to as normal as possible. And ultimately it is the Lord who decides how our lives change. Bryan is one determined guy, and His Lord is a pretty miraculous healer. We appreciate so many who have been texting and calling.”
And she did make sure to tell people Bryan was “safe” at home plate and “Macedonia won the game, which was miraculous in and of itself. He says he’s officially retired from sliding.”
Bryan agreed. “That’s my last slide for sure. People have told me for years that it’s not worth it. I learned it’s not — I’m never going to slide again.”
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This article appeared in Kentucky Today.
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