BeTempered
BeTempered
BeTempered Episode 31 - Near-Death, New Life: How Jason Koger Became a Bionic Inspiration
What if a moment of unimaginable adversity became the turning point of your life? Today, Jason Koger and Jeff Jacobs from Owensboro, Kentucky, share their extraordinary journeys of resilience and transformation with BeTempered Podcast Host, Dan Schmidt. Jason recounts his early years on a family farm, where the values of hard work and integrity were instilled in him, and how these foundations helped him navigate the harrowing aftermath of a life-changing electrical accident. With vivid storytelling, Jason takes us through the incident that left him temporarily heart-stopped yet ignited a burning determination to overcome all odds, including becoming the first person in the world to receive two bionic hands.
Jason's journey is not one faced alone. He is joined by Jeff Jacobs, whose unique perspective on friendship and support weaves a powerful narrative of mutual appreciation and strength. The episode shines a light on the critical role of community, the unwavering support of Jason’s wife, Jenny, and the unexpected celebrity connections that have furthered his mission to help others. Together, Jason and Jeff remind us of the profound impact positive influences can have, as they share stories of overcoming adversity, redefining life goals, and finding purpose in giving back.
As the episode unfolds, listeners will hear about the life lessons drawn from near-death experiences, the resilience needed in family and business struggles, and the unexpected friendships forged through shared hardships. With heartfelt anecdotes and practical insights, Jason and Jeff illustrate the power of perseverance, gratitude, and living with purpose. Their stories are a testament to the strength found in community and the importance of embracing every opportunity to make a difference, no matter how daunting the journey may seem.
Connect with Jason Koger:
Hi, my name is Allie Schmidt. This is my dad, Dan. He owns Catron's Glass.
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Speaker 3:Welcome to the Be Tempered Podcast, where we explore the art of finding balance in a chaotic world. Join us as we delve into insightful conversations, practical tips and inspiring stories to help you navigate life's ups and downs with grace and resilience.
Speaker 3:We're your hosts, dan Schmidt and Ben Spahr. Let's embark on a journey to live our best lives. This is Be Tempered. What's up everybody? Welcome to the Be Tempered podcast. I don't know what episode number this is. That's usually Ben's part, and Ben is. He is not with us today. He's down in Tennessee with his family. They're doing a big peewee football event, and so you just got me today. But today we have a couple guests that I have been blessed to know. Jason Koger is with us and Jeff Jacobs is with us, and these men come from Owensboro Kentucky. Jeff Jacobs is with us and these, these men come from Owensboro, kentucky, and you're going to find these stories to be remarkable. You know we bring on guests that have just amazing stories of perseverance, perseverance and resilience, and you know these two guys are right there with it, and so I am extremely grateful for you guys to come up here and to record this. So, jason and Jeff, welcome to the Be Tempered podcast, thank you.
Speaker 5:I appreciate it.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah. So I'll give a little brief talk about kind of how I met you through the world of podcasting and social media. I met you through the world of podcasting and social media. I listened to the Live Inspired podcast with John O'Leary and one day I'm walking in the Arboretum, got my earbuds on and I put on John's podcast and I hear this Southern twang and I'm like who is this guy? And you start telling your story, what you're going to tell.
Speaker 3:And once I hear the whole thing, I'm just blown away and um, so I'm like you know what man it'd be, it'd be awesome to to be able to interview Jason. And so I send you a message on Instagram, not thinking I'd get a response, cause you're, you're pretty big time. I don't know about that. In my eyes, you were and, um, within I don't know a couple hours, you messaged me back. Give me a call. Here's your cell phone number. I'm like Holy cow, okay, and you know, from that time forward we've had many conversations and, um, you know, and, and we'll learn about about you know how you enjoy hunting and you know kind of coming up here and then you know, I just want you guys to know, both of you the past couple of days you came up here. What's today, saturday? You come up on Thursday night, you know, you make the trek in a snowstorm, almost, you know, first snow of the year in Ohio, and I am so grateful that, uh, that you guys came and.
Speaker 3:And Jeff, I didn't know you from Adam, you know, jason brings you, it brings you along, and, um, you know, then I get to learn your story and I'm like holy cow. I call Kevin, our producer, and I'm like man. You know, we got a couple stories here, we got a couple amazing men and, um, you know, so I'm just grateful for you being here and, uh, you know, we've, we've done a couple of events. You know, the first night with a local, uh, some youth groups, and then yesterday at, uh, national trail schools that was awesome, you know to um, you know, for them to hear your story, and so, with that, people aren't here to hear me, they're here to hear you guys. So, jason, I would like you to kind of tell your story from the beginning and then we'll get to that big event that happened and completely changed your life.
Speaker 5:Yeah, absolutely so. I was born and raised in Owensboro, Kentucky. My grandfather, my mom's dad, had a farm, so it was 2,300 acres of corn and soybeans. My dad's family my grandfather was actually an electrician. They grew up pretty poor. My dad did.
Speaker 5:My dad has been a self-provider since the age of 13, and literally I mean when I say that he worked in tobacco patches or whatever he had to do to pay for his own schooling books. You know everything. There was five of them, five kids. My dad was the oldest, so you know, really, I mean he took care of the whole entire family. And then in 1984, I was born in 79, 1979. 1984, my dad decided that he was going to start a construction business and he went all in him and my mom. I tell people and I think it really shows people who I am and kind of what I've gone through and how I've overcome it, which we'll get into later.
Speaker 5:But my dad was a drill sergeant in the Army and growing up, you know, and hearing the stories of not having anything, being a cell provider since he was 13, 1984, $1,500 to his name is all he had. We lived in an old farmhouse where, you know, sometimes we slept in the same room because that was the only room he could afford to heat. My mom was a nurse and then when my dad started his company she went full-time with him and you know he was sometimes I don't know if it's a good thing, bad thing, but sometimes I would see. You know, if I did any kind of sports or anything, my dad didn't get to come because I mean, he was working seven days a week if he had to just make ends meet, Never asked anybody for anything. And my dad's the kind of person that if he tells you he's going to do something and he shakes your hand, it's going to be done, I don't care if it costs him money, Doesn't matter to him. Like, if he shakes your hand, that's what's going to happen. And he ran his business like that. He didn't want, he hated signing contracts with people because there was no reason to have a contract if you shook somebody's hand and unfortunately, sometimes the world's not like that anymore, obviously.
Speaker 5:And so anyway, I watched my dad be very successful and I feel like be very successful and I feel like I feel like it was.
Speaker 5:It's made me who I am today, and I didn't even realize it until I went through what I went through, obviously, and so, you know, growing up I worked with my dad since I was old enough to remember, and he would put me in the shop, I would sweep the floors or do whatever I had to do, and, and I think that, uh, you know where my mom's family lived.
Speaker 5:Uh, it was our house, my mom dad's house that my dad built, and then next door was my uncle and I had a cousin that was my age, and next door to him was my grandfather's, and next door to him was mother uncle, with a cousin my age, and I had some girl cousins too, a little older than me, and I, me and I have a sister, but, uh, me and my two cousins grew up like are like brothers, you know. And so I always had these goals in my, in my mind that I'll never leave Owensboro, I'm probably always going to work for my dad in his construction company, I will probably um run his business one, I'm going to buy his house and raise my kids the way I was raised, and I wanted to get married and wanted to have kids. I mean, I think everybody has their goals set, but what happens whenever those goals are changed?
Speaker 3:Yeah, you know I, as I've listened to your story a couple of times these past couple of days you know there's um I don't know if it was you or somebody had talked about. You know we have these plans in our life and here more recently. You know Mike Tyson fought last week right, which was a not a great fight, but you know what's Mike Tyson known for, his saying everybody's got a plan until they get punched in the mouth, right. So you've got this plan, you've got these visions. You know staying with, with your family unit and it sounds like, you know, it was an amazing time for you as a kid being with your family. And so you grow up in Owensboro, go through high school and you decide to go to college. So if you're going to work for your dad, why did you decide to go to college?
Speaker 5:I wanted a four-year break from work. No, I wanted to do a few extra things. My dad didn't go to school, you know what I mean, or college and I don't know. I just figured that if I could not necessarily I was worried about getting a certain degree, but I wanted to take some extra classes like AutoCAD or you know things, that computer stuff that my dad doesn't know how to do, and I figured maybe that would bring something to the company that we've never had. So I did get. An engineering degree in Murray State University is what I got. Engineering degree at Murray State University is what I got. But my dad followed me down to Murray, which was two hours from my house, and literally we got a lot of work at the hospital and then at Murray State University. So even though I left home to kind of get away, I didn't get away.
Speaker 3:He was following that cheap labor right he did.
Speaker 5:But I got a work truck and I would park anywhere I wanted to on campus. So then I had all my fraternity brothers want to ride with me to school, cause I didn't have to park in the parking lot, I could park up front.
Speaker 3:Yeah, that's great, that's great. So you go through Murray state um graduate with an engineering degree. What's next?
Speaker 5:Go back home. Um, actually I met, uh, jenny, my wife now. I met her in Murray, but she is from Owensboro. Owensboro is about 150,000 people and we got two different high schools not in county schools, we have a city school but we have two county schools, high schools and she went to Davis County. I went to Apollo. So I had never met her.
Speaker 5:But whenever I moved to Murray I went with a guy that I graduated with and he went to church with Jenny and they were really really good friends and so on the weekends I always went home. I was a homebody, I wanted to go home and work with Dad or do whatever, and so I'd go home every weekend and every now and then Jenny would come up to see my roommate Jason. I mean, they were just super close friends. Anyway, I'd seen some pictures in our dorm room of Jenny and when they would come up I'd say, man, that girl's pretty good looking, but I figured way out of my league. So I met her one night at our fraternity house and she and I became really good friends.
Speaker 5:I mean, she had a boyfriend, I had a girlfriend, we were just really good friends and then they broke up. We broke up and I asked her to go out with me and we've been together ever since and you know, I know you said just a minute ago that last two or three days we've told stories and I have so many stories that I've seen a lot of stuff in the last uh was since 2008, mainly yeah and um. You know, jenny doesn't get the credit she get or she deserves. You know, I mean, and I know we'll get into the, but you cannot let me forget to tell you about Jenny's side a little bit too.
Speaker 3:Yeah, for sure, for sure. So you meet Jenny, you move back home, you get married. Talk about your first house.
Speaker 5:Yeah, so I bought a little 800-square-foot home. My dad owns a lot of rental properties, so I thought I'm going to buy a house in town and eventually, one day day I'm gonna move back out to the county where I was raised, uh, and then I would just keep my house for maybe a rental or or whatever. And so I went to an auction, I bought a house. It was a little 800 square foot home in town. Uh, jenny and I started out there and then, um, she told me, she said, you know, I want to have four kids is what she wanted. I said, I don't care how many we got, I, I just wanted some kids. Uh, so we uh, kind of we were married a couple of years and then we decided we was ready to try to have a baby and, uh, we got pregnant and I had a. Our first child was, uh, a little girl, and we named her Billy Grace. Uh, it's B, I, l, l, I, e is how we spelt it.
Speaker 5:So right before we got married, jenny and I, her dad and Jenny were very close. We were at her house and me and Jenny was going to go to town one day and I had not asked her to marry me, anything like that. But I knew I wanted to marry her. So we were leaving her house and her dad was mowing the grass and he had stopped mowing and walked over to us and told us by and it wasn't. I don't know, it's kind of different. If he's mowing he would have probably waved and gone on. You know, we went town, whatever. But this day he got out, got off lawnmower, walked over, gave her a hug, kiss.
Speaker 5:We left and we had just made it to Owensboro and Jenny's mom called me and she said, uh, billy, his name was Billy, billy was in an accident. And I said what do you mean? What kind of accident? She said, well, a mowing accident. I was like, all right, so she meet us at the hospital. So I tell Jenny, I was like, hey, your dad's been in an accident. We got to go to the hospital, whatever.
Speaker 5:So we went to the hospital and, uh, walked in and found out that her dad had a massive heart attack and and passed away, um, and when he fell off the mower he had the mower set where the blades wouldn't stop. You know, he unplugged it or whatever, and um, and it cut his leg. But it cut his leg bad enough, he never, never, bled. So I mean, he was probably, you know, passed away immediately, and that was really hard on Jenny. And and then, so Jenny always told me that the first child that we would have she won't name Billy, regardless of the boy, girl, whatever.
Speaker 5:And and I was, you know, being raised up by my parents that you know, sometimes you're just taught how to treat people and the right things, wrong things, whatever. And and I've always been that kind of person that when I wanted to ask Jenny to marry me, I felt like that was a, um, a dad and a and future son-in-law, whatever type of thing, right, like you got to ask permission, um, and not even necessarily for Jenny's mom, it was more for the dad, you know. And so I knew I wanted to marry Jenny and I actually wrote a um, um, a letter and put it in his casket, and she didn't know. And when I asked her, I showed her that I did ask for permission to marry her. So, oh, that's awesome.
Speaker 3:Awesome story and and it it kind of tells the person that you are and um, you know, just just a good man. So so you and jenny get married, you're in this 800 square foot home, you got billy, grace joins the world and, and you know, we all know that that our kids change our lives right in an instant and um, so life changes and the house getting a little small, isn't it? It is, let's talk about that.
Speaker 5:So, um, got pregnant pretty quick again. Um, my, my girls are 18 months apart. So 18 months later I have our, our second daughter. Her name's campbell and uh, and we kind of name our kids a little bit different, but instead of like campbell soup, that's what everybody used to say, it's's C-A-M-B-E-L-L. So Campbell Lee Coger was born. But when we found out we were pregnant, jenny basically came in. It's like hey, we got to move. So that's when I went to my mom and dad's house and I basically told my dad I said hey, you don't have an option now You're moving. And I bought his house and we moved back then into the house that I was born and raised in and that's where we reside now.
Speaker 3:Yeah, which is, which is awesome. How'd your dad take that? Or was he expecting it? He knew it. Okay, he's always known it since.
Speaker 1:I was a little boy. He knew that's what I wanted.
Speaker 5:So, uh, and you know, my grandfather, my cousin, lived behind my house at the time. He had a little trailer back there, but my grandfather had passed away and he actually moved in my grandfather's house. So now it's my house. My uncle still lives next door, Now my cousin, then my other uncle and then my other cousin actually lives in town. He's not out there yet.
Speaker 3:So you move into your childhood home, your family, you know, surrounded by your family. You got Campbell's on the way and you're working a lot.
Speaker 5:Yes, yeah, we were working about 712s for about a year.
Speaker 5:We were working at TVA. Everybody called it paradise. It's uh, uh, a power plant, is what it is. It's in Muhlenberg County, and so we were working there quite a bit. Uh, me and and then some of my dad's brothers they also. So my dad was a pipe fitter. We were in the union. Uh, my dad was a pipe fitter. Uh, my uncle was a bowling maker, my other uncle was a teamster, my grandfather was an electrician, so we had like all the trades pretty much in the union. And so me and my uncles were working at TVA quite a bit, and you know we were just 7-12s.
Speaker 5:About all we were doing was working, didn't have a whole lot of time to spend money, Was making really good money. I mean, when you work overtime, double time, holiday pay, all that, I mean you're rolling in some pretty good amount of money and for whatever reason and I know I haven't shared this with you, but for whatever reason I was working so much that I was putting extra payments on my house. I mean, I didn't have, I didn't have time to spend money anyway. So instead of paying the minimum or or whatever you had to pay, I was like, man, let's double it up, or whatever. So, um, I got really close, uh, to paying my house off before.
Speaker 3:That's awesome.
Speaker 5:My life changed.
Speaker 3:It's awesome, yeah. So I mean you're just working like crazy and I'm sure that was hard for your wife. I mean, I'm sure she you know as the provider for the family, but you got young kids at home, you're working nonstop and I'm sure when you come home at night you're exhausted, oh yeah. So you're working all those hours and then all of a sudden you get a day off. Yep, I'm sure you're excited about that. Oh, absolutely yeah. So talk about that day off.
Speaker 5:So it was on Friday night. I knew I was going to be off that weekend. And I came home and I told my wife Now she was a graphic design major she had just went back to work on that Friday Actually, I'll take it back she went to work on Thursday from being on maternity leave. Uh, friday I guess it was Campbell or Billy, I don't even remember which one one of them had an ear infection. So she took off the next day, uh, to take care of whichever girl it was for ear infection.
Speaker 5:Uh, that night, you know, told Jenny that I was going to do some honeydew projects around the house and, uh, do whatever. I mean, it was going to be the first warm day of the year, you know, and when I say warm, it was probably in the 60s, it was, you know, warm enough. You could just wear a short sleeve or a long sleeve T-shirt is what it was, no jacket, none of that. And there was a railroad track, little train ride inside the mall that year. And so I told Jenny, I said tomorrow morning I'm going to take the girls to the mall and go on this little ride or whatever. And I took my niece with me and so went to the mall and did this little train ride and then came home and actually what I was doing was I was taking a ceiling fan down is what I was doing. I was going to replace the ceiling fan and I took it down already. And I got a buddy of mine that's an electrician, and I called him and, anyway, missed call. He didn't answer my call, you know, and he tells me this all the time, so anyway, he didn't answer the phone call and then about that time my wife, jenny, was going to do some wedding invitations for my brother-in-law, and so anyway, they were working on this and on the wedding invitations and I went outside and decided to go around my farm on a four-wheeler, just a quick little ride.
Speaker 5:Somewhere I've been my entire life, somewhere I could go, I could close my eyes and ride around the farm, you know, and I've been around it millions of times, you know. So I went out, got on my four wheeler and, um, and there's a gravel lane that's beside my house and it's a U shape and it ends up in the back of my grandfather's house, which is where the grain bins are. So, uh, I mean, this trail is probably I don't know a quarter of a mile, you know, maybe less than that maybe. So I took off, went behind my house, the first corner to the left, went around it and then I was looking across the field, just not paying a whole lot of attention. The next little corner of the last part of the U-shape. There's a culvert right there and that's the only place that you can cross shape. There's a culvert right there and that's the only place that you can cross.
Speaker 5:And I got to it and I noticed that I seen something and I hit my brake pedal on, on my foot pedal, and I kind of slid into this thing that I didn't know what it was. Uh, the sun was on that side of the farm, you know, on that side of the of. Uh, you know, that's the side I was driving in. I was driving into the sun but there's a hill right behind it and it was cornfield that year, so the corn stub was still up and everything just blended in. And I hit this thing that I didn't see and whenever it bounced off the front rack of my four wheeler it bounced up and landed. It hit me in the chest and landed in between my body and my handlebars and I noticed it was a downed power line.
Speaker 5:So I looked at the line and I looked to the left and I seen the telephone pole was leaning towards me and the guide wire broke. And I looked over to the right and there was a field pump. And when I looked at the field pump, you know, automatically I was like, well, maybe somebody my uncles or whoever turned the power off. There's no power to this line. I'm on rubber tires. Maybe I'm all right since I'm on rubber tires, I don't know.
Speaker 5:And then I just decided, I called my cousin I could see him in the back of his house, called him. He came down to where I was, house, called him. He came down to where I was and, um, I decided by the time he, before he got there, I picked this line up and I backed off of it just enough to let it go. And it was, um, right, and still on the front rack of my four-wheeler. You know, right there by the front rack, my cousin got there behind me and we started talking. And I know when I tell him, tell my story, everybody's like man, this took 30 minutes, but it was within a minute or two or whatever.
Speaker 5:And I told my cousin, I said man, I hit this line. I said it's down power line, I don't know what to do. But I said I'm really afraid that there's going to be some other kids in the neighborhood riding four-wheelers and if they're wide open I'm worried about somebody getting decapitated. And and if they're wide open I'm worried about somebody getting decapitated, you know. And I told him. I said I've already touched it, I already picked it up, got it off of me. I said I don't know what to do. And I was looking at him and I said I know we need to call an electrical company. But I said I wish that thing was just this high.
Speaker 5:And whenever I threw my arm out to say you know this high, like to kind of show him the height that I wished it was, next thing I remember is vibration going through my body and I took 7,200 volts of electricity and you know, a minute ago I told you that I took that ceiling fan down and when the story went around that I got electrocuted. Man, that electrician I called thought he didn't answer that phone and it was his fault, kind of. You know what I mean. But anyway, I took 7,200 volts of electricity and um, you know it, um, I felt this vibration going through my body and like all my bones and, uh, I took when you get electrocuted, you get electrocuted for 30 seconds and then it shuts the breaker and then it comes back on, it goes off, goes on until whatever's on it will be burnt off of it, pretty much.
Speaker 5:So I took it for 30 seconds and whenever it shut off, it threw me off the back of the four wheeler, stopped my heart. So you know, I mean literally everything was black. You know couldn't see nothing because I was knocked out for 30 seconds and then, whenever I hit the ground, my heart started. And then, whenever I hit the ground, my heart started back up. I hit the ground hard enough that started my heart back up and when it started up, I woke up and felt like I was on fire. My cousin had already called his dad. I was running trying to get down into the ditch and my cousin was pulling me out of the ditch because I mean I was wanting to cool off. You know what I mean? I literally felt like I was running trying to get down into the ditch and my cousin was pulling me out of the ditch because I mean I was wanting to cool off. I mean, I literally felt like I was on fire.
Speaker 5:My cousin had called his dad. So his dad come rushing back there in his truck and you can only imagine, I'm sure he was running 100 across the field. My other cousin was at his house and he noticed that my uncle was coming down back this farm so fast. So he came down there and he went down there just for a minute and immediately went right back to the road, cause you couldn't see where I was from the, from the highway or for the, you know, for my road. So he went down to the road, uh, to wait on the ambulance to show him where I was.
Speaker 5:And, uh, when he got down to the end of the road and he wasn't back there with me, just for a minute, you know or less and um, so he decided he called my, uh, my mom, and he called my mom and uh, so my mom was, they were in town, I don't know what they were doing and he, uh, my sister was with my mom, my dad was with her and he called and he said you know, jason's been in an accident. And my mom said how bad. And he wouldn't talk. And so you know the first thing my mom was like well, where's Jenny? And Charlie said she's at home.
Speaker 5:And she said was Jenny back there with him? And he said no. And she said did you tell Jenny? And he said no, no. And she said did you tell Jenny? And he said no. And she said what are you going to tell Jenny? And he said no. And she said, uh, charlie is, is he still alive? He didn't say nothing, you know, and it like I'm sure then my mom could tell that it wasn't good. And uh, and my mom called my wife and uh, my wife came back to where I was, you know, in the back of the field.
Speaker 3:So for context, for those that don't know 7,200 volts of electricity. What's compared to that?
Speaker 5:It's more than the electric chair.
Speaker 3:So someone getting electrocuted on death row is taking less volts than you took, yep, I mean, that just puts all that in context. And so you know this happens. And I, as you're telling this story, and again I we've heard it. This is the third time I've heard it in three days and Jeff, you've heard it, you know probably a hundred times, right, you know I put myself in like your, your parents' position. And hearing that and getting that call, and you, just, you just can't imagine when someone tells you your son's been in an accident and they ask, they realize the severity of it, and they ask is he still alive? And there's silence on the other line. I just can't imagine that, you know. And then you know, jenny gets the call right.
Speaker 3:So, so talk about what happens from there.
Speaker 5:Yeah, so uh, jenny didn't know where I was. Um, she went out the front door and this was, uh, when I got electrocuted. It shut my whole neighborhood down. So, like, even my neighbor knew exactly what time it happened because you know her lights were flickering. Jenny was at home and she was on her computer.
Speaker 5:And I tell people, it's like you know, for a split minute second, however long it took for her to get that phone call from my mom when that power went off, she was probably I wonder what that was for, I wonder why that power went off, and probably still cutting up with her brother and had no clue that for those 30 seconds that the lights were off, that her husband was the cause of that or was back dying, or however you want to put it. And then you get that phone call and she runs out the front door. And then you get that phone call and she runs out the front door. My next-door neighbor across the street had came out and I think evidently heard her yelling, whatever he come running across the field and I think she said I got to find Jason, he's been in an accident, so they jump in my pickup truck. It was sitting outside and then he drove around the farm, found me.
Speaker 5:The ambulance was already there and I was already starting to get loaded up in the amulets and jenny, uh, gets in the amulets with me and we're going to, uh, owensboro hospital and really at that time jenny kind of was like I don't, I mean really nothing wrong with him, he's talking, he, you know, he's wrapped up a little bit. And she says she could see a little bit of blood where my thumb was, you know, wrapped up or whatever. And so we're on our way to Owensboro Hospital, which is not very far, and I remember telling her I was like, hey, I'm going to lose my thumb. I was like you know, I got electrocuted. She had no clue until we was in ambulance what even happened to me. I said I was electrocuted. I ran into a power line. I said, uh, electricity came out my left thumb and basically blew it off. And I said it's barely hanging on, but I'm gonna lose my thumb. And I said, uh, so you know, I told you earlier that my grandfather passed away three months before this happened. My grandfather was a single arm amputee. He got it caught in a corn picker when he was 29 years old, and I was 29 this time too. And I told my wife. I said, you know, papa lost his entire arm and I'm just going to lose my thumb. I said I've watched my grandfather drive combines, cut tobacco, pick up hay, I mean it didn't slow him down. So I was like it's really not that big of a deal.
Speaker 5:So I get to Owensboro Hospital, surgeons are running in and out. I hear a surgeon or Jenny hears a surgeon say this kid could lose his arm and we got to get him out of here. And she was like I don't know if they're talking about Jason or not, you know. And so, um, they come in and basically say we got to get you out of here. We got a helicopter coming to pick you up. Um, my mom and dad, they they said that I was going to go to Nashville, tennessee. So mom and dad and my sister jump in the car, they take off towards Nashville. Jenny waited with my brother-in-law, which is my sister's husband. She was waiting with him because she had to sign release forms for me to even get on the helicopter, so she couldn't leave the hospital until I was on.
Speaker 5:Helicopter came and they loaded me in a helicopter, feet, feet first, right in the back of the door.
Speaker 5:My feet was touching the front windshield, next to the pilot, my left shoulder was touching the side window, and then I had a nurse to my right and you have all that equipment to keep you alive, and then a nurse behind me and then I was basically laying in her lap and I don't know if you ever been in a in a helicopter life flight, but you kind of sit a little lower than the rest of the helicopter.
Speaker 5:It's kind of dropped off where the bed is, and the reason that is is for you know blood, whatever you know, and then that way there's a, there's a hole down there that they can actually wash the, wash the stuff up, you know, and so mean I remember seeing all that kind of stuff which I wasn't bleeding like that.
Speaker 5:But um, it's just kind of weird how you kind of drop in a helicopter. You kind of drop down four inches deeper than everybody else, really kind of like isolated in your own little world there, and so we get in the air and go right over top of where I was injured at. I remember seeing out the window, seeing people still down there, and then they cast me in the helicopter and when they cast me I remember seeing my urine and it looked like Dr Pepper, something I'll never forget. And then they stuck a needle in my jugular vein right in the side of my neck, which is how they were going to prep me and get me ready for surgery. But they would not give me any kind of medication and not knowing, but the medication would have slowed my body down from fighting, and it was literally fighting to stay alive is what I was doing.
Speaker 3:I'll tell you I'm amazed with, with your clarity. You know, you, you take 7,200 volts of electricity through your body for 30 seconds. Your heart stops. You hit the ground, your heart comes back on and and you, you tell this story, and I mean just like we're watching a movie. It's amazing to me that you have such clarity, and I mean just the detail of the helicopter, right. I mean it's unbelievable, flying over the farm, that you know all this had just happened. So you're in the helicopter, you know you're thinking, man, this is a lot for just losing my thumb.
Speaker 5:I asked them multiple times like I don't know what we're doing, why are we going to nashville? Why are we on this helicopter? I, I don't understand. You know, I mean you start talking about a helicopter, that's life flight. You know, I mean that's uh, you're they. They don't think you're gonna live long enough, or they got to get you to a place really really quick. You know and know, and like I don't understand what we're doing.
Speaker 5:And then I even remember landing on top of the helicopter and I know you heard this story when I was speaking and I left some stuff out because I think confuses some people, because uh, well, I'll say it now. But uh, I remember landing on a helicopter pad and getting in an elevator. I remember going down a helicopter pad and getting in an elevator. I remember going down elevator doors open up and the first person I seen was another cousin of mine. So when I say that everybody's like good Lord, this guy's related to everybody. But Charlie, my cousin that waited for the ambulance at the end of the road, his sister lives in Nashville, tennessee. So my dad had called them and said I need somebody that Jason knows there because I don't know if he's going to beat us there and I don't want him just being with nobody. Nobody can ride with you on a helicopter right? Jenny's on her way down there by now. My brother-in-law is probably running 100, you know, to get to Nashville it's a two-hour drive from my house. So the first person I seen was my cousin and uh, she uh leaned over, gave me a kiss on the head and and I remember that the person that was pushing me in, uh in the bed wasn't stopping Like it was uh, you better run beside the bed and give him a kiss, cause we got to roll.
Speaker 5:And I remember going down to the end of this hallway into a room that basically looked like a morgue.
Speaker 5:Everything was stainless steel, the bed was stainless, everything was stainless, and that room was called Hydro, and Hydro is where they take a pressure washer and they wash your dead skin off of you. My whole right arm was third degree burns, so they used the pressure washer and washed all that skin off of me and basically they were getting me ready for surgery without giving me medication. Now, luckily, somebody has come up with a way to give you medicine that makes you forget, and I don't remember the pain that I went through during that procedure. I remember the room but I don't remember the water or you know whatever. I don't remember getting washed off, but the entire time the nurses said I was super calm and I was talking to them and asking them why am I here, what are we doing? You know and I don't know if I was just in shock, because I'm sure I was in a lot of pain, I mean, it's not, I'm not Superman, you know what I mean.
Speaker 3:What were you know? One thing that's resonated with me again hearing this story the past couple of days when you asked the nurses, you know what's going on? What was their response? You asked the nurses, you know what's going on? What was their response? I mean you. You kept getting a consistent response from everybody.
Speaker 5:You asked everything's going to be okay. Yeah, that's it. Everything's going to be all right.
Speaker 3:You know, I think of that and you're a man of faith. You know, and and uh, you don't even realize it, but you're fighting for your life. You know, and these nurses and these doctors, and they know what's going on and, um, you know they, it's, it's got to be an encouraging thing. You know, you're like man, you know I'm just gonna lose my thumb, yep, and you ask and everything's gonna be okay.
Speaker 5:But they know that you're, you're near death yeah, and actually when they called dr guy, when dr guy he was on call um when he got that call he was at church is where he was and yeah, so dr guy gets the call, he comes in, you come out of hydro.
Speaker 5:You know what's next so, uh, dr guy already knew pretty much what electricity does, um, so he's already telling him on his way what to do. I mean that was the hydro was, you know, know, told to do that. And then when he got there, I'm not for sure if he seen me first or if he went right down to where my family was and you know, I mean I know I said there's 150,000 people in Owensboro but it's still a very small community. I mean the word went around super quick. When Dr Guy went down there it was my mom, my dad, my sister, my brother-in-law, jenny, and Jenny's sister, and I think it was about it right off the bat.
Speaker 5:But Dr Guy came down and he found Jenny and basically went up to her and was like hey, listen, your son, your husband was electrocuted. I need you to sign release forms to amputate whatever I have to amputate. I need you to sign release forms for blood transfusion. Um, if you don't do this, your husband's about to die because his kidneys are shutting down and that's why my urine looked like dr pepper. So when you get electrocuted, it burns you from the inside out and causes poisonous toxins inside your body. The poison's got to go somewhere so it goes through your kidneys and whenever your kidneys look like that they're shutting down, they're about done. If they would have shut down, obviously everybody knows what would have happened. I would have died.
Speaker 5:So Dr Guy tells her all that stuff. He's like I got to get him to surgery now, um, and if you don't sign these, like he's going to die. Uh, and, and you know, basically I think my wife was like, uh, I think the first thing went through her mind was, you know, the girl still deserved to have a dad. Like I don't care what they got to amputate, what the I don't care what they got to amtek, what I don't care what they got to do.
Speaker 5:Like we were going to sign these papers and we're rolling on with it and, and I'm sure you know, her dad, mom, is like we'll worry about what he thinks or or how he's going to take it later on. You know what I mean, cause I mean I don't know, I don't know what's going to happen. So, uh, I think the doctors, uh, right then, like they're willing me into surgery, into the or um, and I think they tell jenny it's like hey, if you want to, if you want to see him, you got a second, you know, and uh which, I don't remember that, but I think everybody went in there except for my dad, you know.
Speaker 3:So anyway, went into surgery well, and surgery Well, and so you know there's something, there's a there's part of that story there. I think we were having a phone conversation yesterday you were talking about. You know, we've heard the story about your dad and and starting a business and um, but but talk about, while all this happens and you're getting ready to go into surgery, talk about what was going on with your dad's business and um, you know cause? You tell me that and owning a business. I start thinking about those things and I I put myself, you know, in your dad's position and if it's, if you're my son and um, you know, not only just my son's been in an accident, but talk about what he was going through at that time.
Speaker 5:Yep. So we built the largest gyption plant in North America. It was in Wheeling, west Virginia, where they make drywall and we had finished the job. They were making drywall and we ended up in a lawsuit because they didn't want to pay us for what the work we've done. And you know, was it partly my dad's fault, probably because he didn't get a contract signed, um, but he shook somebody's hand and he's gone. You know what I mean and and that's where all that um, integrity and, uh, you know, being a, a good person is like's like, you know, I'm going to do this work. Like I said, I was going to do it. They're making drywall and I think they decided it was probably going to be cheaper for them to pay a lawyer to fight it and maybe my dad would lose everything he had and maybe it would be cheaper for them.
Speaker 5:Pretty much is in my opinion of what happened, and so you know, everything my dad had was all paid for, um, and you know, starting with fifteen hundred dollars, his name now everything is in the bank's hands, or, or, you know, if he's not making payments, foreclosure possibly, or whatever, including his home, um, so at that time, you know, my dad already had all this stress. And then you know, son's fighting for his life and and I remember dad telling people he's like you know what, I don't care what happens, I don't care what happens on the lose it all whatever, this is my focus. I'm going to be right here at this hospital and this is what I'm going to take care of. And regardless, you know, my dad has never allowed me to say no, that I can't do something. So, um, you know, dad, the whole time was like I don't know how we're going to do it, but we're going to do it and it is what it is. And, uh, and then you'll, I was in a coma for three days and for three days, man, my, my wife and mom, dad, whoever, was constantly Googling and like what's going to happen?
Speaker 5:What's, what do we need to do? How are we going to get through all this? How's he going to take it? You know, and then, and you know, I was in surgery for I don't know 10, 12 hours, and you know, obviously I don't know if anybody has got this yet, but they had to amputate both of my arms, you know, in order to save my life. So here I am, a 29 year old young man, young father, uh, with the amputation of two hands, like what's he going to be able to do? I mean all these things going through Jenny's mind and Mom and Dad's mind, whatever, and I mean how are they even going to explain to him when he wakes up that this is what they had to do? But as soon as Dr Guy got done with the amputation, with the surgery, Soon as Dr Guy got done with the amputation, with the surgery, he went down to the waiting room to tell Jenny and Mom Dad whatever what he had to do in order to save my life. They didn't know it was going to be bilateral arm amputation, yet you know right.
Speaker 5:So he gets down to the waiting room and Jenny stands up, he walks over to her and I think he said said that and I think it's in my book that when he went down there's like 50 people down there, like you know, my uh pastures to uh neighborhood people, family, I mean just everybody drove two hours to Nashville.
Speaker 3:You know Well, you got 50 cousins that live around here, right I do.
Speaker 5:But you know, you got all these people and I think that was the first thing that Dr Guy was like. I think he sat down before he could even say anything. Jenny cried, like you know, he goes to the hospital and has these surgeries and there's times he goes to the waiting room and there's not even a single person waiting on somebody you know what I mean. And then for him to come down and see 50 people, 100 people, whatever I mean he said it was a room full and knowing that I was two hours away in Owensboro and he told me he's like man, I knew that I was working on somebody very special you know, yeah, told me he's like man.
Speaker 3:I knew that I was working on somebody very special. You know, yeah, that's amazing, um. You know a testament to to your family, um, and a testament to Dr Guy, um, because you know he, he did what he needed to do to save your life, yep, so you come out of the coma.
Speaker 5:Talk about that, yep. So, uh, wake up three days later and I was laying flat on a bed and I remember looking over and seeing a nurse beside me I'm assuming I had a nurse to sit by me the entire time um, and I remember that I had a feeding tube and oxygen and stuff everywhere and I remember that I couldn't talk real like really good but uh, but I basically reached over and asked her. I was like I want to see my dad. I think I just asked for my dad and I think it's because I had that respect and knowing that if dad said it was going to be all right, mommy and dad say it's going to be all right, it's going to be all right. But I didn't even know. I mean, I couldn't look down. I could still feel my hands uh, still feel my hands today, right, and I'm laying flat on this bed.
Speaker 5:Um, it actually broke my neck or I had a small fracture in my neck and my back as well. So they had me laying flat on this, uh, on this bed, strapped down, basically, where I couldn't hardly move, and uh, my dad walks in and and my mom both of them and jenny was actually another little side story this. So I'm in nashville, tennessee, and we own um points from windham. So my dad got a windham whatever house whatever in nashville, uh, while I was there, so that when people wanted to come up visit, visit or stay, or Jenny, the girls, the whatever they can have a house instead of a hotel room. So um come to find out when Dom found out that the reason they were there and never charged us for none of it now you know 12 days.
Speaker 5:Um so, anyway, jenny was at, uh, the house, that uh, with the girls or whatever. And they got the phone call. You know, hey, he's awake, come up, whatever. And so it was just, you know, me and my mom and dad. And my dad walks in and basically first thing he says is like hey, I don't know how we're going to get through this, but we've always had faith and we will get through it one way or another. And he said, in order to save your life, they had to take both your arms. And I mean you know you take something like that and it's, it wasn't a woo, let's go. You know what I mean. Like you know it's a lot to process and I couldn't even tell you what I was thinking, to be honest with you. And I mean I'm sure you know kids went through my mind and you know how are you going to do everything?
Speaker 3:And again I go back to your dad. You know the stress he's he's feeling from what he's going through with his business and then the stress of, you know, potentially losing his son, um, and then being the first guy to come in and see you and then have to tell you that you know, you know you're a father and you put yourself in that perspective, jeff, you're a father, you put yourself in that perspective and you know, that's where it really hits home for me, um, is to hear, hear this story and and just to think, man, if I had to walk in that hospital room and see my son, like your dad saw you, but still be the, the um, the pillar, you know the strength of his family and to tell you, hey, you know this is the cards you've been dealt, but you're going to be okay. What an amazing man.
Speaker 5:Yep.
Speaker 3:What an amazing man. So he tells you this and Dr Guy comes in. What's next?
Speaker 5:So you know, when Dad came in and told me that about and you've got to remember, when they asked my dad or my whole family to come in before my surgery, like, yeah, you want to go in and see my dad or my whole family come in before my surgery, like, yeah, you want to go in and see him. He didn't want a part of it. Like he's, I don't want to see him like this. You know what I mean. Um, so he tells me that and I don't know if his hours or day or whatever, I mean it wasn't I'm sure it wasn't immediately that I went to a regular room, but I eventually went to a regular room and you know, I don't remember seeing talking to Jenny or any of that stuff until I was in a regular room. But I go into a regular room and you know, and I don't know why I'm doing this I don't know if it was my faith or or my kids or whatever, faith or or, uh, my kids or whatever. But every time somebody come in, you know, I mean I was smiling and trying to be, um, I don't know, maybe I seen that from my dad trying to be the stronger person out of the whole situation, you know. And so, um, there's several pictures that people see me in the hospital and every one of them, everybody says the same things. I mean you're smiling, you know, like I don't know how in the world you're smiling, um, but anyway, dr Guy walks in. One day, first time I met him and he sat down with me and he explained getting electrocuted, what it does to your body, kidneys, why they amputated. Um, you know all the medical stuff and uh, dr Guy told me. He said I'm going to tell you that I will be the only doctor that you see or that makes decisions on you. He said, some hospitals, some doctors, they'll, you know they're off tomorrow, so you know somebody else going to take care of you, whatever he's like, they're going to call me. And he was a big NASCAR fan too. He loved NASCAR, so Tony Stewart was his guy, right? So, um, I, there's three NASCAR people from my hometown, uh, the green brothers, the watch trips, they all live in my hometown, so I'm really close with the green boys, and uh, so, anyway, I, I'd got a car, or even I even got a car from Tony Stewart autographed for Dr Guy. But, uh, but anyway, uh, that's another story here in a minute that I haven't told you yet.
Speaker 5:But so Dr Guy comes in a room, sits down with me and he says Jason, I want you to come up with a goal, I want to help you reach a goal. But he said you're going to be in the hospital for months. And he said you know, I want you to think like very, be very clear on what you want to be able to do, make sure it's a goal that you can reach. And I'm sure he asked everybody this, but I don't know what everybody else comes up with. So anyway, he went to stand up, walk out of the room and he I told him I say, dr Guy, I know what I want. And it was just me and him. And he was like, how do you know what you want? You know he's standing at the door and I said well, come in here and I'll tell you what I want. So he come in there and sat down next to me and I said listen, you know, I got two little girls at home. Uh, billy was 21 months old. Uh, campbell's, three months old.
Speaker 5:I said I just won't being able to have kids again. Probably enough electricity, I won't be able to have kids anymore. Jenny wanted four kids and I can tell you now that after rehabs and getting better, I got a son now. It wasn't supposed to happen, but anyway I told him. I said, you know, I got to be able to hold my kids again and that's all I care about. And I, you know, if I can do that, everything else will work its way out.
Speaker 5:Um, and then I think it was the next day, dr Guy comes in. He was like hey, you girls are here. And he said I'm gonna bring them in your, into your room. And I said no, you're not. I said I'm going to the waiting room, that's where I'm going. And he wheeled me into the waiting room and I have a picture somewhere of my mom pushed me in a wheelchair into the waiting room and you know I'm smiling and I held Campbell for the first time and Billy Grace was scared to be in front of me but she would sneak up behind me and kiss me on the cheek, but you know she was kind of scared of me a little bit.
Speaker 5:But I held my kids for the first time and I knew right then that don't know how, but it'll be all right, it's going to work out, you know, and I think that's where I go into, you know, with my wife, I mean, you can only imagine the things that she had to do. Um, you know, she had to take care of two little girls, feed them, bathe them. She had to feed and bathe me. Um, you know, she was 28. I was 29. Uh, we're still married and but, man, the easiest thing to for her to have done is is like I didn't sign up for this lifestyle and I'm out, you know and I'll be honest with you.
Speaker 5:I got friends that I had some very close friends that I'm not close friends with anymore, because I think they thought the same things like what can we get out of him? Now, man, he's done, you know, so we're gonna roll on, keep our life going on. And now I think they probably with the things I've been able to do and the people I've met and he's done. You know, so we're going to roll on, keep our life going on. And now I think they probably with the things I've been able to do and the people I've met and it's not about the people I've met, but the things, the opportunities I've had. I think some of these people are probably like man, I should have hung around. You know, he's a lot stronger than I thought.
Speaker 3:Yeah, you know, there's just so many things going through my mind Again, with your dad thinking about Jenny raising those two little girls, terrified of what's to come. You know, I've got this man that I married, who's working seven days a week, 12 hours a day day, providing for our family, our young family. You know, we're living in his farmhouse and life's just flipped upside down. And what an amazing woman to. Because, you're right, the easy thing would have been to do. You know, I'm done, and you know, especially in this day and age with social media and instant gratification, and you know, hey, I didn't sign up for this, so it's an easy out. So what an amazing wife, right. What? Again? A pillar of strength from your parents to your wife and those, you know, 40 or 50 people that were in that waiting room, everybody praying for you and caring for you. And so you're in the hospital and there's a point in time. They tell you what they tell you. In the beginning it was going to be three. You're gonna be here three months.
Speaker 5:Yeah, they said you know, a couple of months. They said you'll at least be in here a couple of months. And uh, I told him, I said right off the bat I was like that ain't gonna happen, I ain't gonna be here in order to get out. And you know, he gave me a list of stuff that I had to get done. And then, you know, I had that engineering degree so I made a little contraption to feed myself while I was at the hospital and I think everybody could tell I was like man, this kid is pretty determined to still live his life, you know.
Speaker 5:And so, anyway, I was only in the hospital for 12 days, but the 12th day so three of those days in a coma, like 12 total days from losing my hands uh, dr Guy walks in a room and he says man, listen, if your mom and your wife will become a nurse, I'm going to let you go home. And I said, well, they're going to become a nurse because I'm coming home. I'm going home and, um, and you know, my wife, and so I had skin grafts. So they took skin off top of both my legs, um, so one of the things that she had to do was she had to use a washcloth on one leg, a total different washcloth on another leg, a different one for my left arm, a different one for my right arm. So that's four washcloths three times a day, four towels three times a day. So you can imagine washing clothes all the time. That ain't counting the kids stuff, right? Um, I had to be wrapped up like a mummy, like from the bottom of my feet all the way up, and when I was laying in bed they wanted it uncovered so it would air out. But when I was up I had to have dressed like a mummy.
Speaker 5:Um, so when I was laying in bed and I needed to use the bathroom, I had to give Jenny. Literally it would take 45 minutes to get me ready to go to the bathroom. So I'm like, hey, I'm going to have to go to the bathroom in 45 minutes. We got to start getting ready. So you can just imagine how long that takes. And then you know she's feeding Billy Grace and she feeds Campbell, and then she feeds me. My food's cold and then she feeds herself. She would give Billy a bath, give Campbell a bath, give me a bath. And then she feeds herself. She would give Billy a bath, give Campbell bath, give me a bath, and then she'd go to bed without taking a bath. She's like I'm just too tired, don't even care, you know. So I mean like all the stresses, you know. And and then, on top of all that, you know, providing for your family food. But man, we had people for months that came and brought us dinner every night. They had a meal train every single night. So made different.
Speaker 5:Me and Jenny got into an argument one night and we had round doorknobs. So I was in the bedroom and she shut the door on me and I couldn't get out. So a guy asked me. He said is there anything I can do for you? I say absolutely. He was a contractor. I said I want lever knobs on all my doors. So I got lever knobs now. So I wasn't going to get locked in the room, no more. But we had people that would come by all the time. You know I had some friends that would come by and sit with me and tell Jenny, go to town, go do you. We got the kids, we got Jason Get out of the house.
Speaker 5:So it was really nice to be able to have people do that kind of stuff. It meant a lot more than what they know, especially the here's $100, go shop. I had this old lady walk up to Jenny. I didn't know this for a long time and this lady passed away a few months ago and we were at the funeral home and Jenny had told this older lady's son, which is my dad's age, somebody we're real close with you'll never know that your mom came to my house and handed me $200 and said go to town. She was like all right, this will help with groceries. She was like I don't want it to go for groceries. I want you to go and do something for yourself, whether it's pedicure, haircut, buy some clothes, whatever, but for you and I mean you know people did all that kind of stuff it meant a lot.
Speaker 3:Yeah, that's amazing. Amazing community, amazing people. Your wife's amazing. From her perspective. You guys have had this conversation, I'm sure, since 2008 and talking, talking about that, talk about her perspective a little bit. I mean, I get the feeling of of all that she did, but, um, you know, with with, with people doing those those simple little acts of kindness, but she's still taking care of her kids and her husband and wondering what's next. So, from her perspective, have you guys talked about that?
Speaker 5:Yeah, and I think that with my mentality and the way I was raised up and who I am, I think if it wasn't for the way I was raised, we might not be together, right. So I didn't want her to do anything for me, like I didn't want that. And there's, there's amputees I meet all the time. It's like they want people to do stuff for them. You know, but right off the bat, like I was, I just I was determined enough. I'm going to get my life back. I would go outside and try to mow the yard, I would go outside and try to do something, whatever. I was doing everything I could do trying to feed myself, I'd spill stuff, whatever, but I didn't want, I wanted to try. Before she helped me. And also, you know, jenny had and was told Jason's going to think about suicide. Like you lose two arms at this age or any age. His life has been turned upside down, you know.
Speaker 5:And uh, and I never did, um, I, I had faith, you know, I mean that's about the only thing you say, but I also, there was definitely hard days.
Speaker 5:Um, there was days like, man, this is hard, like this is not fun, and uh, and I would get frustrated and mad or upset or whatever.
Speaker 5:But I was smart enough not to take that inside the house. And I tell people that all the time, like you're going to have bad days, you're going to have days, you're just not happy or something ain't going right, and I wouldn't go in the house and yell or take it out on them. I just would go down, kick rocks and do whatever I had to do to get it off of my mind or get it out of my chest. And you know I'd just do it by myself and then I'd walk in the house and you know I just tried not to ever take anything inside and I tried not to take anything from the kids Time. You know what I mean? Like I didn't want it to be about me. I didn't want them growing up and become an adult without being able to have a childhood, so I just let them. I mean I tried to take care of myself for the most part what I try to do.
Speaker 3:I hope everybody listening. You know there's a lot of complaining and negativity in this world and we all have good days and bad days. And on the bad days you come home and and I've I find myself doing it sometimes. You know you just want to break, you know your war out from work or whatever's going on. You had a, had a rough day and and you know I may yell at the kids for whatever reason, and then I meet you and I think about this guy who loses his arms, who has I mean, what you just said was just absolute gold for anyone.
Speaker 3:When you have a bad day is to think about Jason Coger, whose life has just been completely flipped upside down. But you recognize that you know what. I'm not going to let this hold me back or hold my family back. It's truly amazing, man. I mean I know you've, you've, you've, you've talked to a lot of people throughout your lives, amazing people with amazing stories like yours. But I mean you are truly one of a kind. I mean you, you really are to hear you talk about how you know I got to get myself right so that my wife can live her life, so my kids can grow up and so that I can be their dad. So it's amazing. So you go through all that and and you're, you're Googling, right, how you know? How can I? How can I be the man I used to be with my arms? So talk about that.
Speaker 5:So, yeah, I started Googling Well, actually, what Jenny did that when I was in hospital, mainly so she knew about these bionic hands. And um, so I started doing research and, uh, I ended up going to a prosthetist and asked about these bionic hands and was told that I would never get them as an insurance. To say no, uh, you know, they're a100,000. Like it ain't going to happen. And I was like, well, we're going to try anyway. And we tried and got denied, and got denied, and got denied. And I told you earlier I was in the union and you know, and I know you get into politics and everybody's thinking you know unions automatically Democrats, republicans, but it doesn't matter, right, I mean, when you're in a brotherhood of a union or a fraternity of a house, whatever it is, you got this. It's like a family and the UA president in Washington, which he works with the president whatever president, he is the one that was in the office, as you know, trying to get wages up or whatever. He's with the president. So he found out about my accident and immediately started making some phone calls and so I'm sure that didn't hurt. But, um, I got accepted and I became the first person in the world with two bionic hands because my insurance said yes, after many, many, uh, failing letters, that it wasn't medically necessary for me to have prosthetics and I would.
Speaker 5:And I always said, I always told jenny that when I laid in that hospital bed I felt like I was the only person in the world that lost an arm. I had nobody reach out to me, nobody to be able to find me. Um, I didn't know there was anybody else out there like me. And then you know you're fighting for insurance and you're fighting for this and that. And I always told Jenny I was like, whatever I do, I will make sure that people know that I'm there for them and I will be there for them.
Speaker 5:And I will fight an insurance company for somebody else. I will show up and I have showed up at meetings and say, why'd you tell this guy he didn't need something? Because I got it. And this is what I can do. Um, but I, I I have. I don't get paid to go see people that's lost limbs and if I hear about somebody on the news, I do all I can do to find them and talk to them and reach out to them and and be there for them, because I don't want them feeling alone, because there's not very many people like this, you know.
Speaker 3:You're a good man. I mean you, you are. You are a good man and and I know, jeff, you and I had some conversations and and you know you became friends with Jason. Uh, you know, after the accident through, through some hunting and things like that, um, and you made that comment, you and I were walking the other day to the tree stand and and, um, you know you said I don't know if you realize how much Jason does for people and, um, kind of talk about that a little bit as a friend.
Speaker 4:So he's pretty humble about what he does. I've seen it from the inside out. He helps a lot of people. We talk two or three times a day. He'll you know if he's he's telling you the right thing. If he finds out somebody's hurt, he finds out how to get ahold of them and he he'll fly on his own dime. That's what he has to do to go help them. But you know, one thing I wanted to add while you were talking about Jenny and I'd never seen this until right before we came up here on this trip. So he didn't even know. I know this. So when you went back to tell Campbell you were leaving, I looked on his kitchen table and his wife's Bible was open.
Speaker 4:And I knew she's pretty religious and she had a notebook there and had notes from Bible verses pertaining them to her daily life and that just really kind of puts all this into perspective of why this has all worked for them. It's so much faith. But yeah, he answered your call. And you said you were surprised. Yeah, I was shocked. And you said you were surprised, yeah, I was shocked. He answers everybody's call. He's pretty famous in a lot of people's eyes.
Speaker 3:If you call him, he's going to call you back. He's got that blue check mark on Instagram.
Speaker 5:That's what my kids said.
Speaker 4:Yeah, and we've met. I've had the opportunity to meet a lot of really cool people just being his friend, and a lot of people know a lot of celebrities and different things, but when he shows up it's like they really know him better than the rest of the people. Yeah, I mean he just touched a lot of people's lives.
Speaker 3:Yeah, just down to earth, I mean, and that's, you know, that's what's drawn me to. I mean, your story, obviously, is what, what kind of made the connection? But you know, when I get to talk to you on the phone and I think first time I was talking to you, you were driving to the movie theater. You're going to take the girls to the movie, or your son or something, to the movie theater, and you know it just, we're just talking like we've been friends forever, you know, and and it's just, it's just so awesome because you know, from my perspective, here I'm, I'm seeing you and we'll talk to about this a little bit, but I'm seeing this guy on Hawaii five, oh, you know, uh, and and and we can talk a little bit about a RoboCop.
Speaker 3:You know he's your buddy and and how, all these things kind of progress. So you know, we get through to where you're starting to make a recovery. You get these bionic hands. Talk about how that kind of changes things for you. Did you just slip them on and it was nice and easy and you just I mean, it took time to figure it out, like being mechanically inclined.
Speaker 5:I understood how they worked, so it wasn't as hard for me to use them as somebody else maybe. But I started going to the shop man, just taking stuff apart, just to do it, and for a lot of frustration, you know. But I wanted to be the best prosthetic user in the world, like that was my goal. I want to be the best, and I also thought that I was going to be the best anyway because I was the only one. Like this is the way I felt. So, but I was going to work extremely hard to be as good as I could and, uh, do everything that I could do on my own. And I started doing all this and and started to get in the news a lot in my hometown, and then that ended up going to CNN. So I was on CNN and then that opened up doors for people to find out who I was, and I think if you Google upper limb amputee, I'm probably like one of the first that pops up. Now you know. And so, anyway, I got phone calls from a lot of different people and I ended up getting you know, some of them were amputees, some of them were doctors, some of them were therapists, ots, I mean just you name it. You know from all over the world.
Speaker 5:And I end up getting a phone call from a lady in Hawaii and whenever I talked to her she was asking me questions about, like, if I could hold a coffee cup, if I could write my name, if I could hold a gun and all this silly stuff. And I'm like what is this about? And anyway, the next day I get on a Zoom call with this lady and a bunch of other people in the room and it's the senior producer, peter Lenkoff, of Hawaii Five-0. And he says, hey, we did an episode back in the 70s of a guy who had two hooks. It's called the Hookman episode, and we want a guy that has two bionic hands and you're the only person in the world we can find. And they asked me if they could hire me to be, uh, the bilateral arm empty in this new tv show. And I said, yeah, sure, but I don't uh had, I'm not an actor. So they said, oh, you don't, don't matter, we got an actor, we got Robocop from the 80s gonna be you and you're gonna be the hands. And so, anyway, I accepted the job and I went to Hawaii and filmed this episode.
Speaker 5:It took about two and two weeks a little over two weeks to film and you know, the first time I ever went on set and I tell people this all the time and you know, the first time I ever went on set and I tell people this all the time you can put Taylor Swift in front of me and I can promise you, if you give me 30 minutes with her, I'm going to have her phone number by the time I leave. You know what I mean. I think that they understand. I'm not in it to ask them for something. I don't need nothing from them. So, anyway, I get on set. Rob robocop's laying on the ground. He's got the same clothes. I got on and they asked me if I'd lay on top of him and put my arms underneath his armpits and pull the trigger and I thought they were joking and long and short. Uh, I spooned robocop for two weeks and he even took me to dinner. So we became really good friends. We came real close.
Speaker 3:I mean super, super close, yeah, yeah, which is, uh, it was hilarious. And and so, um, peter Weller, who was RoboCop, and for you know, for kids my age or not my age, but for my kids, uh, the younger generation may not know Robo robocop, but google them and you'll see that was a pretty famous movie back in the day. And um, so you get to know peter weller and and talk about how that friendship has kind of evolved and, um, you know where it's kind of went yeah.
Speaker 5:So, um, he called me right before that show aired and was a few months before it aired, and he called me and said, hey, did you know there was some new Bionic Hands out? I said, yeah, but I said, man, my insurance won't, they won't do it. And he said, well, it don't matter if insurance will do it or not. He said I called him and told him, if they wanted their name on this show, that they are to send you the new Bionic hands. So I think for them it was a big advertisement thing and they were like, heck, yeah, we'll send you some.
Speaker 5:So I, I became the first person in the world, for the second time, to have the newest bionic hands, and that opened up a door for whenever, uh, whenever, touch bionics watched that episode, they were like there's no way he did that. I was like, yeah, yeah, he did. And then they, uh, they pulled me in and I started doing some testing for them and I think they realized you know how, really, how good I was using the prosthetics. And so now I'm, uh, I'm an ambassador for touch bionics, which was bought out by Oser, which is a really, really big company based out of Iceland, and the engineers are in Scotland and they have home office in California and in Ohio.
Speaker 5:And man, it just, you know, peter Weller opened that door for me and and then he and I came super close, super good friends, we talk. He almost treats me like a dad, you know. I mean like if he doesn't tell me on the phone he loves me, when he hangs up he'll text me. Hey man, I forgot to tell you I love you, you know. And so, um, he had asked about coming to.
Speaker 5:Owensboro, kentucky, one time. And, uh, you know, my son, Axel, was born at the time. And so, um, peter Weller flew into town, spent a weekend with me, and it was around the anniversary of my accident and, uh, I was like man I bet he don't even know like this is like one of them. God things right. Well, little did I know. He didn't know, and that's why he wanted to come in. And, uh, before he came in, I had climbed in a attic to get a toy box out, for, uh, they had a little matchbox cars in I was going to give my little boy. And I climbed up in the attic and I opened up this, uh, tote, and the very first thing on top of it was a poster of robocop. And that was a godsend thing, right, I mean, that was just something that's like, why did I save that? Uh, and, and I knew exactly, that poster came out of a nintendo magazine. Like you know, we used to play contra and you knew the, the passwords up down down, left, right, left, right, oh, left right, and so I remember where it came from.
Speaker 5:So then, whenever Peter Weller came to my house and he, first thing he said I want you to take me where you got hurt at, and he did a little video on his phone and I don't know if he ever used it anywhere or not, but you know, I took him back there and showed him where I was hurt. We talked about a little bit on his phone and he had filmed it. And, uh, I had asked him. I said, man, why'd you come into town? And he just looked at me, said, dude, I want to surround myself with people you surround yourself with, like that's. I need that in my life too. And it hit me like man if, uh, you know, you talk about all these famous people and really what makes them famous in some people's eyes is they're wealthy, they got a lot of money, they're well-known, they're popular, whatever. So you take these famous people, and these famous people need people just like me. You know what I mean. Like they need that old Kentucky country boy too, you know.
Speaker 5:And, and it really hit me that I think sometimes people bow down to others and and there's really no reason to bow down to anybody because we're all the same. I mean, I tell people, we, we all put our pants on the same way, except for me. I do mine a little bit different. But you know, people, we all put our pants on the same way, except for me. I do mine a little bit different, but you know, we all put them on the same way. Yeah, and at the end of the day, it doesn't really it doesn't matter what you got, because you ain't going to take it with you and you ain't going to take them friends or anybody else with you. You know what I mean. It's just you just got to have that relationship with you and one other person, and that's it really, you know, at the end of the day.
Speaker 5:And so, anyway, I thought that was super special and we had an event that night. It was called um. I called it handing back because my community was so good to me and, uh, I charged $10 a person to get in and I had some country music guys that I met, uh, at that time it wasn't anybody really big, but you know some singer-songwriters that's written for Luke Bryan and you know some of the bigger names Miranda Lambert and all them you know. So they came in, did a little concert and I charged $10 a person to get in and the next day it was me and Peter Weller at my house counting this money and it was $18,000, and I gave it to seven different local charities. And then the second time he came in it was $21,000, and I gave it to all the elementary schools for Christmas wish that year. So we've done it a couple times and I have not seen Peter Weller in a pretty long time now, several years before COVID but I still talk to him, you know, quite often.
Speaker 5:And you know, I became good friends with Alex Olofen it was McGarrett on Hawaii Five-0 and we still keep in touch quite a bit. And you know I went to an event not long ago a couple weeks ago for an event called Steps of Faith, and Steps of Faith is a way to raise money for people that don't have insurance to buy prosthetics. And a great friend of mine, his name's Billy Billy's the one that runs Steps of Faith and he's best friends with Jason Sudeikis, which is Ted Lasso. So Ted Lasso helps bring money in and they have a little concert. It's a little fun, a little night, and the last two years in a row we've raised almost $900,000. Every time it was $805,000, I think two years ago and $840,000 this year in one night, which me and Billy's talked about this a lot. It's like man, it really helps when you got a celebrity behind you, for sure, uh, you can pull in them big dollars like that.
Speaker 5:But when I left there, we'll Forte, which is on Saturday night, live. Uh, me and will Forte talked quite a bit that night and when we left and I was on my way home on Sunday afternoon, he uh texted me and he wrote something like hey, I just want you to know that Olivia and I are blown away by your story. You're one of the funnest guys to talk to and he said I appreciate everything you do, I appreciate who you are, and it's just another one of them things that I tell people, and my wife's always like, don't be name dropping. Like don't be name dropping and I tell her.
Speaker 5:I was like it's not about name dropping, but it's definitely about just showing people and telling people that a guy like me can make a difference in these name dropping people yeah, you know what I mean.
Speaker 5:like, uh, and I don't care who it is. You put me in front of somebody long enough. We're probably going to be buddies before we leave. I don't care how much money they got or how famous they are, it doesn't matter. You know, uh, I think they need me just much as we need to listen to their music and as much as we need to watch them on TV they need you more than you need them.
Speaker 3:You know, I think you know what a lot of people are missing in this world is is just that that relationship being vulnerable and being open and honest. Um, you know about who you are in your life and what you care about, and it doesn't take any time at all. I think anybody listening to you know we're we're going on an hour and 20 minutes here. I think within the first 10 minutes they know the kind of man you are. Going on an hour and 20 minutes here. I think within the first 10 minutes they know the kind of man you are and that's what draws people to you. You know, the amazing thing is what has happened to you and how you overcame that. You know you overcame it for yourself because you wanted to provide for your family. You wanted, you know, to provide and raise your kids and hold your kids hands and and coach your kids. And you said you were running the scoreboard the other night at at Axel's basketball game and, you know, just living a normal everyday life it's. You know anybody out there who's going through anything? Um, this. This has to be an inspiration to you to understand that it don't matter what happens. You know you can lose your, you can lose your arms, you can lose your legs.
Speaker 3:You know, yesterday we were at um, you know, national trail schools and um, you know there were a couple of kids there that that were amputees or that that had prosthesis, and um, you know, you got to meet the, the, the girl, and um, you know, the whole time you were talking there was I don't know four or 500 people in the gym and I just kept watching her. You know, I kept watching her. She was sitting close to you, jeff, and um, you know, I, you could, I always try to think you know what's someone like that thinking? Because you know she's a young kid and with all the social media and everything I'm, I don't know how she feels, but I can imagine that. You know, there's, there's probably every day she says why me?
Speaker 3:And then here comes this guy with these bionic hands who's just got this amazing outlook on life. You know, um, what an inspiration, jason, I mean what, what an absolute joy it has been for me to get to know you. I was telling uh, you know, matt, we went out to dinner last night, my buddy Matt, where you guys are hunting. He texted me this morning and he said man, I really appreciate you taking me along last night and, you know, it just feels like it feels like I've known you guys forever, you know, but really it's been two days and uh, so I see how you guys forever, you know, but really it's been two days and so I see how you get. You would get Taylor Swift's number, you know.
Speaker 5:I don't think she'd date me. I'm not sure you want that. You know when you said that about what she was probably thinking and you know as a kid living in that life.
Speaker 5:I'm sure there's a lot of bullying, yeah, um, a lot of look at me compared to look at you, and I think it's really, really awesome for them to see somebody like me, because I don't hide the fact that I'm an APT and I'm proud of myself, I'm proud of who I am, I'm proud of what I've done. You know, I always get that question. It's like would you go back to that day and that accident ever happen? And I absolutely would not. And it's not because of the cool people I've met or the cool opportunities I've had, but I truly feel like this was God's plan. This is what God wanted me to do and I just got to figure out exactly what he wants me to do with it.
Speaker 5:And I think being able to walk into a room and if somebody is like, well, you look weird, be like great, but I'm happy, I'm happy, weird, you know, or I'm happy. However, I don't care what you, what somebody thinks about what I look like or whatever and and I can inspire people or show people. Even when I go to dinner, I'll have somebody stare at me and I'll be like I cannot believe you just ate with a fork and I'm like it's pretty easy really. Now you know what I mean. And uh, you know you're talking about that scoreboard. I had a guy come up to me and he's like, man, me and my wife sat over there and was like I don't know how in the world you do the scoreboard you know or how you do this now I'm like man, I ain't doing nothing except for living my life.
Speaker 5:That's all I'm doing. And and I think it's really cool, you know, for my kids too, I mean Axel, he is a big time sports guy, right. He loves every sport you can play. He wakes up in the mornings and he watches like right now it's basketball, you know, baseball, whatever it is at the time. He watches youtube and he like really he's not just watching the game, he's like I see how they move, I see like I understand the game, the rules, I understand the game. And he does that every single morning. And then he's uh, every other day he's wanting to go work out. And he's 13 years old, right, and every now, and I look at that and I'm like man.
Speaker 5:I think this kid has seen me work hard to be where I am today. It's not been given to me, it's not going to be given to anybody else, and no matter if it's this or finances, or owning a business, it doesn't matter, it's not easy. You got to work for it and I, I see him working for it and you know, I asked him one day. I was like what do you want to do with these sports. And he told me he's like well, you know, I'd love one day to be in a in a uh, you know NFL or NBA or the major leagues.
Speaker 5:And he's like, if none of those three things work out, I'm gonna be a mechanic. I think's what he said. And I'm like, okay, that's a big difference. But I told him he said but really, my, my number one goal is I want to play sports in college. And I'm like, so he's not missing that step. You know what I mean. Like I know kids dream and and that's great. And I tell them, hey, keep dreaming. But it's not like, hey, I want to graduate high school and go to the major leagues and make $100 million, like he told me. He's like I want to go to college, I want to do D1. I mean, his favorite sport is baseball, right, so I want to go to a D1 school and play baseball and then I'd love to go to major leagues. If I don't work out, I'd like to go to nba or nfl or so I just think it's super cool to watch him and I think he sees it on a deeper level than other kids yeah, especially at that age.
Speaker 5:Yeah, yeah, well, they see me doing it and and they probably see what most people think is impossible yeah and they see the possibilities.
Speaker 3:You know know, yeah, that's awesome, just truly remarkable. And with that I want to transition to you, jeff, because you know, as we met Thursday night and walked to the tree stand together and kind of talked a little bit about Jason and then yesterday we're talking. No, it was that night night at the youth, youth group event and you know, I introduced you to a young, young girl, one of my second oldest daughter's friends, who'd just been involved in a an auto accident where she was thrown from the vehicle and it's truly remarkable that she is alive. And you made the comment nonchalantly, that you were involved in a head-on collision. Talk a little bit about that.
Speaker 4:So that day, of course, we love to hunt, so I'd gotten up at about 4 in the morning, went to the deer stand and killed a huge buck. So the day started out as good as it could be, Went on into work. Part of my job at the furniture store is going out and doing repairs on furniture, so I had a list where I was going. I'd never been on this road in my life, just GPSing from house to house, and at that time I never wore my seatbelt, unless I was going, like with the family, in our motorhome or on a long trip. But around town never, ever, ever wore my seatbelt. So I went to a house, did a repair I remember at the end of the driveway putting the gps, the next place I was going. It's the last thing I remember. I don't remember the wreck. Still to this day I have no idea. I had no idea where it happened. I've never been on that road ever.
Speaker 4:Uh, my wife found me through a life 360 on the crash alert. She saw it go off and came and they were putting me in a helicopter when she got there. And so I woke up at Nashville Skyline and start asking what's going on, you know, and to find out I had my seatbelt on. I didn't say a word Then when they told me I had it on. But I was sitting there thinking why did I have my seatbelt on?
Speaker 4:There's no doubt in my mind it was the good Lord had me put my seatbelt on, because you typically didn't wear your seatbelt never, never, unless I was on a long going to florida or somewhere on a long trip. And a lot of those times I didn't work, my wife would. Every time I'd get out of the car she'd put it back on, you know. So I wasn't a seatbelt wearer. So, um, I hit so hard the front tire. There was eight inches of floor space between the gas pedal and the front of my seat and my feet must have been up in the air, but my wallet came out of my pocket and was behind the gas pedal.
Speaker 4:So I mean everything in the back of the truck was in the front. My head even hit the mirror and broke the mirror, even with my seatbelt on. So I would have been injected no doubt. Probably wouldn't have survived very good chance. So you know I mentioned that girl. Did you have your seatbelt? She didn't. And you know, a lot of times it can save your life not have the majority of the time it does, but um yeah, that's um pretty amazing uh thing to know that I had it on and it just shows what good Lord can do.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah. So you're in the hospital. What was that recovery like?
Speaker 4:Uh, I was off work for about a month. Okay, I had really bad memory loss. I didn't remember anything. I was really dizzy every time I'd get up and I wasn't telling anybody how bad I was feeling because I was really afraid I had permanent damage. Because even when I finally got the okay to drive down the road, I'd be driving somewhere and forget where I was going and I wasn't going to tell anybody that because I still wanted to drive. But that's not only one way, but it's changed my life. Now I never go anywhere without my seatbelt on.
Speaker 3:Oh yeah, what a great lesson, for sure for all those out there. You know, wear that seatbelt. And there's something else that you talked about that night that I. It's kind of a unique connection because Cause it's you guys weren't friends. You know, you've been friends for a whole long time, right? I mean for how many years, roughly?
Speaker 5:Five, four, five, five years, maybe six, maybe something like that.
Speaker 3:So five, six years you've been friends, but what's unique is the story of your dad and he didn't even know that until the church the other night really yeah, I had no idea, no kid, so talk about that because I was like what, yeah, the look on his face when I told that.
Speaker 4:He's like really, yeah. So before I was born my father was electrocuted by 7200 volts. Um, he was on a power line, went back when they used to climb the poles, you know, and uh, the guy turned the wrong circuit off during a snowstorm and it electrocuted my dad and it went in his hand, came out the back of both of his legs and blew the bottom of his boot sole off and the bottom of his heel and they actually sewed his hand up inside of his stomach to keep the infection off for weeks and that's what they used to do. And Jason said he had heard of that too, but he about died over 7,200 votes as well.
Speaker 3:And here you guys are you know, 30 years, 40, whatever, however many years after that happens to your dad and talk about how you guys met, because I see a really genuine, unique connection between you two. It's been cool for me. I really part of my life, I really try to take a step back and I observe people. I've been fortunate through my business. You know if I'm going to hire somebody or if I'm thinking of hiring somebody, what I try to do before I put anything out there you know that that we're we're accepting applications is I I just start watching people. I I observe their mannerisms uh, you know how they talk and, uh, observing you two guys, I I see a special relationship there and just knowing that it's only six years old, you know it's, it's very unique. So talk about how you guys got connected.
Speaker 4:So, um, so I had a log furniture business at the time where we built log furniture, like you see, in Smoky Mountains. So the way I advertised it was taking it to hunting shows, and you know that build my clientele through the hunting shows. And there was a big hunting show at Owensboro. It was a new convention center, first thing they had there. And so I go there and set up like a couple days before, and I see him running around. I had no idea who he was and you know he's laughing, cutting up everybody's liking him, and just, I was like this guy. There's something different about this guy. The more I'd see him I was like man, you know, I wanted to ask what happened or what's going on, because obviously I see the hands gone right.
Speaker 4:And um, so the next day goes by and t-bone turner off the show. The bone collectors was the paid speaker to for the draw for the show, so at that time he was endorsing my furniture, so he just kind of worked out of my booth that weekend. So, um, I'd, I'd message him and he'd say, yeah, there's a guy picking me up Louisville airport, you know. So on, so, um, come to find out it was Jason. So, uh, he sends a picture back of Jason driving, like a selfie, and he's got this real scared. Look on his face, there's jason. You didn't tell me this guy didn't have any hands. So, uh, immediately they hit it off. Yeah, so I already somewhat had a relationship with him and then, obviously, starting a relationship with jason, so, um, we didn't see each other for a while. We talked quite a bit on the phone I don't know we've exchanged numbers, just talk about hunting things that nature.
Speaker 4:So I was on the chamber of commerce board so I invited him up one night, um what, didn't know if he'd come or not, and asking to be a guest speaker. And he's like, sure, you know I'll come. So, um, never mentioned it was going to cost me a dime. Really, yeah, I'm coming, you know. So, uh, he shows up. I said, well, come up early, I'll show you my farms. You know, I knew he wanted to hunt. So we go to this one farm and, um, I said, man, you're not gonna believe what happened here. I said there was this 180 inch deer at least, and I said he was standing right there. I was in that stand, I pulled my trigger. He's like 12 feet away. My gun didn't go off. I just put a dent in the primer. He's like oh my gosh, that's terrible. So, uh, we get to talk, I said. But it got better because later that morning I shot like a 160. So if you're a hunter you know that's.
Speaker 4:Those are a respectable deer yeah so, um, the day turned out pretty good. So, um, as we watched the the um show that night, his presentation, everybody in there I look around and you know I'd never heard it. And I look around you know everybody's teary-eyed and you know he was, you know, really doing a good job of keeping everybody's attention and when he got it was a standing ovation and I was like, wow, man, that story was just never heard, anything like it in my life, and since then I've got to hear it several times. But it's always the same impression, like yesterday I teared up at the high school.
Speaker 4:I mean, I think, everybody in there. It just touches you in a special way. But anyway, we kept becoming friends after that and that night I said well, why don't you come up here and hunt that deer? And he's like and at the time I didn't know, he'd really never hunted anywhere but your own farm and hadn't even been hunting very long really, had you?
Speaker 4:Oh, I've been hunting a while but it's just on my own stuff, you've never really gone anywhere else, you know, and nobody offered to let him come hunt. So he said, oh, I don't want to do that. You shoot that deer next year. I said, no, I want you to come up here and shoot it. So he's like, are you serious? A deer like that? I'm like, yeah, come on. So we really didn't even know each other. So he starts coming up. So that's where we got to know each other. We sat in the deer stand like 20-something. When I say cold, it was cold, cold.
Speaker 5:Sleep, yeah, unbearable cold days.
Speaker 4:And we laughed and we cried and we talked about our families and all of his accident and just pretty much everything you've heard here today. Yeah. And since then we've just talked three or four times a day, every day.
Speaker 3:What happened to that deer? He got him.
Speaker 4:So it got on the front of some books and magazines and podcasts and it was I believe it was a number one.
Speaker 5:He was the 16th biggest in the state of Kentucky that year Wow.
Speaker 4:Number one bow maybe.
Speaker 5:Or in the top five. Yeah, I think so. Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 4:Wow, yeah, and it was cool. I videoed it. And you know he's looking. When he hunts, he has to hold his bow. You know, in. You know he's looking, he. When he hunts, he has to hold his bow. You know, in his hand the whole time because his hooks are locked on the bow. You know so. He's not like you and I where you sit down and relax. So he's literally sitting there for hours just holding his bow. So my job was to range the deer as it comes in. You know so I was so tore up because this deer was so big and it comes out and he's looking through the scope, not knowing what I'm doing, and I I've I never even got the range finder out. He's like, how far is he?
Speaker 3:he's 80 you're foaming at the mouth 60.
Speaker 4:Yeah, he's like should I stop him stop him, so he stops him and he's how far I said 35 yards and he shoots and later on I was like I didn't even range. Are you kidding me? You let me shoot, yeah, so yeah we just always had this real fun, funny, um, I mean, it's a blessing, I feel like to be his friends oh, for it's a blessing.
Speaker 3:I feel like to be his friends. Oh for sure it's a blessing to know both of you men. I, I, I appreciate it, and and and what to land this plane. What I'd like to do is and I want both of you to answer this question, I want you to think about it. It's something I always ask anybody that's sitting here Is there any quote Bible verse? Anything where, when, anything where when times get tough, it's a bad day or something happens to someone and you just think why? What is it that gets you through when things are challenging? Jason?
Speaker 5:I know you heard me say this the last couple of days but John 13, 7.
Speaker 5:And it says you may not understand now what I'm doing, but one day you will. And I think that gives me uh hope, determination, um will to live, uh whatever, knowing that it's all planned out anyway and we're really not supposed to. Maybe we're not supposed to understand why things are happening or why they have happened, or why you go through trials and why you go through errors, and but one of these days we will. And uh, and when I say that you know, some people probably like well, you already know what yours is, and maybe I don't, I don't know. I mean, maybe you don't realize that until the day you die and you know, you go meet your maker and he says man, good job, you know, I don't know, but um, I just know that things don't happen on accident and um, people you don't meet on accident, it's just um, things happen the way they're supposed to happen and that's just the way you got to. You just got to be man enough to figure out that. Hey, I'm going to do what I can to make this right.
Speaker 3:Yeah, that's awesome.
Speaker 4:Well, you know, here's a Bible verse. People, you know you're making the comment about us being friends and how unique it's been and we've come close in a short period of time. But you know we talk usually every morning at 7 o'clock or earlier and usually my conversation starts up man, you're not going to believe what happened yesterday. You know I had to deal with this. And he tells me well, here's what you need to do, here's why this didn't work. So he doesn't realize how much he helps me on a daily basis and you know we tell each other. He tells me what happened in his life too, and I think that's why we've become so close, because it's not just about here or myself. It's been a mutual friendship where we want each other to know we're there for each other yeah and a lot of people just don't do that anymore.
Speaker 4:You know it's more all about me, me, me, you know, um, so yeah, he's been a huge help, uh, to me, and a lot of times when I, you know, I'm like you, several different businesses going on and and there's usually never a day everything's going right right and uh, before I met him I think I had a lot. I was a lot quicker to just lose my temper and and now I think you know why am I complaining.
Speaker 4:I mean, look what jason does and I see it so much, I really know what he does. So uh for me to complain. And you know, when I look around these rooms, like yesterday and even at the church I couldn't really see that much church, but a lot of these things we've been to is in the light and I can look around and see people and I just look and I read people's minds that they're feeling what I feel. Man, why did I do what I did today, when this guy's doing what he's doing and never complaining he's happy with it? I'm ashamed, you know. I I feel terrible for complaining and I think he's changed so many people's lives like that that he has no idea about yeah because not a lot of people come up and say, hey, this is what you've done for me, like I'm telling you now.
Speaker 4:But I think, there's so many people that have experienced what I've experienced. He just has no idea that's even happened.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah, and I mean, I feel the same way and I, you know I, I know the kind of man you are. You're like me. Somebody pays you a compliment, you're like, nah, I'm gonna, I'm brushing it off, but, um, take it all in, man, because you know I, I don't know what your ultimate purpose is in life. Um, I'm pretty sure I have a good idea and I think you're doing it because you know, through the accident, that probably should have taken your life the stability from your mom and your dad and your wife Jenny, and your cousins all 50 or 60 of them that live there in the farm and the town of. You know the city of Owensboro, and and all the people that you've met since, since the accident happened, and to think you were a pipe fitter working seven days a week, you know, just trying to provide for your family and and um, and doing a good job.
Speaker 3:At Now you are inspiring thousands, millions of people across the world and, um, you know you, you made the comment about you know when, when we, when we go to heaven and we meet our maker and and Ed Milet people have heard me talk about him.
Speaker 3:You know he's the number one inspiring podcast guy in the country and he talks about how, you know, when he gets to heaven, he's going to meet the version of himself that he was supposed to be, and what he hopes is is that, when he meets that person, that he's the twin Right, that he has fulfilled all the things that he was supposed to fulfill in life and that he meets, he meets himself and that that's who he was supposed to be, not that he looks at this person and is like, oh, that's what I could have been. And so, jason and Jeff, both of you are fantastic men. Um, I am so blessed that you have come to our area and done what you've done, and I know you came here to hunt and trying to get some big deer, and I know you've seen some, and there's stories that will be told, and I didn't even ask you. You didn't get one this morning.
Speaker 5:No, I didn't see one this morning. None no.
Speaker 3:You scared him away Friday through.
Speaker 5:Thursday night. He probably did.
Speaker 3:But I cannot say thank you enough. You've impacted my life. You know what you've done for our small little community, jason, and your story, and you know I don't know what my calling is. I pray every day, and in fact I prayed this morning to you know, god, give me the, give me the words to say and, and you know, so that that that the story can be heard and, um, all I can say is thank you. You know, thank you for what you do. Uh, jeff, thank you. I hope that, uh, and I know it will this will be a friendship that'll just continue to grow. I want to meet your families. You know you're going to. You've met my family and we'll have dinner tonight and you know I'm excited for that. But thank you, yeah, are you cooking? I'm not cooking.
Speaker 4:Hey, I want to throw in here too. You know, you know, the point is, everyone has a story.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 4:And you told a story to me that I've thought about in the deer stand every day since I've been here, because you know my son. Right now I don't think he has interest in taking over my business, and that's what I'd hope for. And he's really, you know, riding around in the delivery truck with me, dad, I don't know what I'm going to do with my life.
Speaker 4:You know, and I don't really know what kind of advice to give him do, but you made a point the other day. You know you took over that you went back to the family farm and that's where you knew you belonged. And uh, to be more diversified. You started the hog operation because you knew the children were going to be there and you had to be more diverse and I thought you know that was some really great advice and you didn't even know you gave me, but that's how important people's stories are yeah you know, um've been thinking wow, I know what I need to do when I go back home.
Speaker 4:I need to do this and that and get him back in the game and show him what he really needs to do. But I I was kind of on the down and out, but you painted a picture for me, so well, I appreciate that.
Speaker 3:I mean it's and, and, to be honest with you, that's the whole reason I started the podcast, because you know, I heard stories like Jason's and and just unbelievable stories. And then I started thinking about you know some, some people you guys will meet tonight, some of my high school friends and and their stories. And then it's like you know what? Um, everybody's got a story.
Speaker 4:Well, you know, young people, that what's so important about what we're sitting here doing now, when you're a teenager or at a young age, you can go either way. You know so easy and it's so important to surround yourself with good people that do good things, and you know that's. You are who you're around, you know.
Speaker 5:Yeah.
Speaker 4:And um, that's why things like this are so important, and you spread the word and you're doing what you're doing. I mean you're you're putting good people together and showing good examples. And if it just infects one person's life, you know it's. It's worth every second of it.
Speaker 3:A hundred percent. I mean, you talked about T-bone, right, and you talk about how things can go differently and how you know he's he's in a sounds like a bad spot right now because of an amputation, and you know you hope and pray for people like that and and that's where you go out and you touch those lives and but at the end of the day, it's up to them Absolutely. You know it's, it's up to you to make that decision to. You know I can feel sorry for myself and think I'm the only one dealing with whatever situation that I've I've been handed and um have out to those who are important to you because, at the end of the day, a majority of the people want to help. You know they want you to succeed and so, yeah, it's man, I feel so full right now. You know I'm so grateful for you guys and so, again, I thank you.
Speaker 5:Yeah, and I thank you for letting us come down and I know that's what it was when we talked. I said, yeah, I'll do the podcast and I was like, what do you do for a living Farm? You own ground?
Speaker 4:Yes, Do you hunt? Of course I get the phone call. Can I hunt? Of course I get the phone call. Can I hunt? Of course I get the phone call. Then You're going to love me even more. You don't know what I've lined up now.
Speaker 5:I said you owe me yeah yeah, that's what I was hoping.
Speaker 3:I'm like, man, I hope they get a deer. Well, and then you know, here, I was afraid, you know you'd made kids get together for youth or whatever. Yeah, well, you're coming up on Thursday and I'm like I wondered if he'd be willing to do something like that. And then I'm like, oh man, he's going to be here. It'd be awesome to get him to the school, uh, to do the podcast. And then I started thinking, oh man, I don't want you to think I'm using you. And here you are thinking the same thing. So, you know, I don't want him to think I'm using him for, you know, for hunting. It's just awesome, I mean, great people. That's what this life's all about, you know. And so I hope that everyone listening has gained something from this. You know that, no matter what cards you're dealt, you can get through it Positive attitude, faith, family and friends.
Speaker 5:Yeah, and so when Taylor Swift listens to this, go to Instagram jkoger84, and send me a message.
Speaker 3:That's one thing I got to do a better job of, so where can people find you? Because you wrote a book too.
Speaker 5:I did. I wrote a book called oh. I wrote, uh. I wrote a book called um. Oh my lord, my mind went blank look at that, handed a greater purpose.
Speaker 5:Yes, handed a greater purpose. Um, I wrote the book during covid, just sharing my stories of the things that I've done and the people I've met and where life has really taken me since 2008. I started back, you know, before you know, like I did in my hometown. My mom, dad's in it, dr Guy wrote in it, peter Weller wrote in it, some of the actors wrote in there what it was like to be with me and around me, and I didn't do that. For how much money can I make? On this book? It was more about showing people what life's all about, that I hope that I can encourage somebody to move on or inspire somebody to live a full life, and that's why I wrote the book and I figured, if I didn't even sell one, at least my kids would be able to read a book and give to my grandkids or whatever. So, yeah, I mean, I'm on Instagram. Jason Koger is my name K-O-G-E-R.
Speaker 3:He's got the blue checkmark.
Speaker 5:I got the blue checkmark. You can Google me, find stuff. I'm on YouTube, I'm on Instagram, facebook, even TikTok, but my kids are trying to get me to TikTok. I do have a TikTok, but I don't know man, I'm just out there and I would encourage anybody to find me, like me and send me a message and I'll. I'll always get back to people, so it's pretty awesome. I don't care how famous you are.
Speaker 3:And Jeff for you. How can people find you so?
Speaker 4:I own a furniture store Jacob's Home Furnishings, find you. So I own a furniture store, jacob's Home Furnishings. So jacobshomefurnishingscom. Jacobshomefurnishings at gmailcom. I don't do all the other fancy stuff, it's obvious. I have Facebook, jeff Jacobs and now Jacob's Home Furnishings. But yeah, I wanted to throw in too. Don't have sympathy for Jason, because we hadn't seen any deer up here. You know, that's one reason he has me around, because I always find him a big deer. Might be the last day, yeah.
Speaker 5:And if you go to that website, jacob's Home Furnishing just put in Cogre 50 and you get 50% off.
Speaker 3:There you go. You heard it here. If you mentioned Be Tempered Podcast, that's another 50%. Wow, you're setting me up good. Yeah, hey, everybody Be sure to like to share, subscribe. Check these guys out their websites. Buy Jason's book. You know, if you know somebody out there struggling, buy that book. You can get it on Amazon and search Handed to Greater Purpose. Buy it for somebody. You know we've got the holidays coming up. Everybody knows somebody going through a struggle and and what an inspiring story.
Speaker 5:so matter matter of fact, why you said that if somebody does write me on social media that they want one, um, if they want to just buy it straight from me, I'll mail it to them and I'll sign it. Awesome, awesome, well thank you.
Speaker 1:Well, everybody, go out and be tempered hi, my name is ali sch Allie Schmidt. This is my dad, dan. He owns Catron's Glass.
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