COFFEE COUNTY, Ga. (WALB) - Three weeks after doctors told his family he likely would not survive, John Wesley Holcomb is taking steps, pointing to family photos, and beginning rehabilitation after surviving two gunshot wounds to the brain.

His wife, Tonya Holcomb, calls it nothing short of a miracle.

“God is so good… this man was not even given a chance at the hospital, and today makes three weeks, and he took two steps today,” she said. Tonya says her husband had been struggling for months with depression and physical pain following a devastating car crash in 2022.

A driver ran a red light and hit the couple, severely injuring Wesley’s spine. Multiple surgeries followed, including a failed fusion of his L5 and L6, leaving him in constant pain, unable to work, and eventually on disability.

His health continued to decline. “He couldn’t walk. The circulation in his legs got so bad his toenails had to be removed. His toes were becoming brittle and falling off,” Tonya said.

More than the physical pain, she says the emotional toll became overwhelming.

“He kept telling me he didn’t feel like a man anymore — that he couldn’t provide, couldn’t do the husband things, couldn’t be Paw Paw to his grandkids. It was really getting to his head.”

On Christmas Eve night, the couple was watching a movie when Tonya heard a gunshot coming from the laundry room. She ran in and tried to stop him.

“I tried to get the gun from him, but I wasn’t going to fight him for it,” she said. “I walked back into the living room… and that’s when I heard the second shot.”

When she returned, Wesley was on the floor. Tonya immediately called 911.

By the time first responders arrived, Wesley had stopped breathing. He was rushed to Coffee County Hospital before being transferred by ambulance to a Florida trauma center. Doctors told Tonya he likely would not survive.

“They said if they didn’t think he would make it, they wouldn’t even operate — they would just let Mother Nature take its course,” she said.

But after assessing him, doctors decided there was a chance and performed an emergency craniotomy. “They had to relieve the pressure on his brain. He has half his skull removed right now — from here over. It’s covered by skin,” Tonya said.

Two bullets had entered his brain. Tonya says she immediately turned to prayer.

“I just started praying. I called everyone I could think of — Oregon, Colorado, South Georgia, North Georgia — and I said, ‘Please pray for Wesley.’”

Three weeks later, doctors are now discussing rehabilitation. Wesley cannot speak yet, but he can point to family photos, recognize loved ones, and follow commands.

“They’ll ask, ‘Who’s Emery?’ — his granddaughter — and he points to her,” Tonya said. “He can throw a ball with his left hand, and he’s not even left-handed.”

And on the day of the interview, he took two steps. Tonya and her family drive more than two and a half hours each way every day to be with him. Doctors and nurses say their presence is making a difference.

“He watches the door for us,” she said. “They say when we’re there, he participates more in therapy. His whole attitude changes.”

That’s why the family started a GoFundMe to help cover gas, travel, and the cost of staying near the hospital so they can continue being there for him.

“Every little donation helps us be there to help him get better,” she said.Back home, Tonya says the house feels empty. “It’s like the rug was pulled out from under my feet. I don’t like being in the house without him.”

She says the laundry room — where everything happened — is a place that strangely brings her peace. “It’s the last place I was with him. I stayed there with him until they took him out.”

Through it all, Tonya says she refuses to give up.

“Don’t count anybody out. Don’t give up on people. Just keep being there. Keep your faith. ”She believes Wesley is living proof of that. “He is a miracle. God is not done with him yet.”

A GoFundMe has been created to support Wesley’s recovery journey.

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