RICHMOND, Va. — VCU Health held its 17th annual Shining Knight Gala at the Omni Richmond Hotel, where Mary Munford Elementary School Principal Gregory Muzik and his Shining Knights were commemorated for a remarkable story of survival and community support.
On March 11, 2025, the 76-year-old Muzik was hit by a car while riding his bike on Patterson Avenue. The crash left him with life-threatening injuries.
More than 50 first responders and medical staff at VCU Health worked to save his life after doctors initially gave him "a very low chance of survival."
Dr. Michel Aboutanos, Medical Director of the VCU Trauma Center, said Muzik's story stood out as the feature patient for the gala because it demonstrates "what it takes to save one life" and shows the "accomplishment and the love and the empathy and the compassion" involved in his care.
Muzik was supported not only by VCU Health doctors and Sheltering Arms rehab staff, but also by his daughter, who he moved in with, and Mary Munford families who delivered meals during his recovery.
"I will have to say that I've never eaten better in my life," Muzik said in October about the community support.
Despite being eligible for retirement, Muzik returned to leading his school, where staff describe him as "the heart of this school" and "a servant leader."
The gala also honored Wendy Cowen, who survived a bear attack in Lunenburg County in May 2024. She was honored with the Trauma Survivor Giving Back Award.
Watch: She survived a bear attack and is thanking the first responders who saved her
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