TEMPLE, Texas — Staff at Baylor Scott & White Medical Center - Temple got a special thank you Thursday afternoon.
A cyclist from Scotland who was severely injured in a Bell County crash two years ago came by to see the men and women who saved his life.
"A lot of these guys fix thousands of people every year and those people leave, go back to their lives and they never maybe not hear what happens to them and the rest of their journey," said Josh Quigley, the Guinness World Record Holder for greatest distance cycled in one week.
Guigley says he would not have his life today or be able to do what he loves if it wasn't for first responders and healthcare workers in Temple, Texas.
"What happened to me in Texas was genuinely one of the best things that ever happened to me and the reason why is because it just made me realize how much [I] actually love cycling," he said.
Guigley was riding his bike near Temple nearly two years ago when he was hit by a vehicle. He was flown to Baylor Scott & White Medical Center - Temple with life threatening injuries.
"Probably the most concerning for him was his extremity fractures," said Dr. Justin Regner, medical director for trauma services at Baylor Scott & White Medical Center - Temple. "The most concerning for us were the injuries some of the blood vessels that lead his brain."
But it was nothing the Level 1 trauma center couldn't handle.
In fact, recently The American College of Surgeons Trauma Quality Improvement Program recognized Baylor Scott & White Medical Center - Temple's Trauma Center among the top 10 percent of all Level 1 trauma centers in America.
"Our goal is to get them back to who they used to be before the event," Regner explained.
Quigley was in the hospital for three weeks and then off to rehab for two.
Three months after the crash, he was already back on his bike -- something Regner says is all on Quigley.
"We can put you back together, we can mend some bones or kill some vessels, but what you do once the trauma is done is up to you," he said.
Quigley is now finishing what he started: his around the world cycle.
He wanted to finish it last year but then the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Quigley decided to use his time to train and also raise money to donate to Baylor Scott & White Medical Center - Temple. It was his way of saying thank you. He raised $5,000 which the hospital is grateful for.
His American leg of his around the world cycle will be from Texas to New York.
"For a guy that has as many broken bones as me, I think it shows people what's possible," Quigley added.
But he gives the credit to his life line at Baylor Scott & White Medical Center - Temple and also Trooper Samuel Nix with Texas Department of Public Safety.
"There's so many people here today that are directly responsible for me being the athlete I am today," he said. "On two feet, healthy, capable of breaking world records and so I really wouldn't be here without those guys. I just want to say a massive thank you. The state of Texas will always have a special place in my heart."
If you want to follow Quigley on his journey to New York you can do that here.