b'Very Inspiring Person AWARDMICHAEL JERNIGANSeeing the Brighter Side of Life BY KARYN BRODSKY How one mans loss of sight gave him purpose: to inspire others to develop their personal visionThe author Maxwell Frazer said,Fales assured Michael that he would be You dont need eyes to seeyouokay. need vision. U.S. Marine MichaelInDecember2005,hemedically Jernigan,athird-generationretired from the military and moved to St. Marine,currentlyofFt.Worth,Petersburg, FL. With urging from others, TX, understands the meaning ofMichael returned to college, moving to this quite literally. In fact, it tooktheWashington,D.C.area,attending thelossofhiseyesandotherNorthVirginiaCommunityCollege seriousinjuriessustainedwhileandthentransferringtoGeorgetown atwarinIraqforhimtotrulyUniversity.Eventually,herealizedthat become a visionary.it wasnt about where he was in school, Whileproudlyservingwithonly that he was in school. He returned CompanyE2ndBattalion,to St. Petersburg to finish his degree at 2ndMarineregimentinIraq,the University of South Florida.Jernigans platoon was hit by twoAs a Marine, Michael had a drive to 155mmartilleryshellsburiedserve,andheknewthatsomehow,he underground.ItwasAugust22,had to find a way to do that again. As 2004 and the Improvised Explosivetime went on, he began to realize that Device(IED)threwMichaeleven without his eyesight, he did have a 20metersfromtheirHumvee,purpose in life: making a difference in crushing 45% of his cranium withthe lives of others. shrapnel that entered through hisIn2006,Michaelco-foundedPaws right eye and exited through hisfor Patriots at Southeastern Guide Dogs, left, cutting everything in between.anorganizationthatprovidesguide Two of Michaels fingers had toThePriceofFreedom:Whileproudlyservingourdogsandserviceanimalstoveterans. bereattached,andhisleftkneecountryinIraq,U.S.MarineMichaelJernigansHeworkedwiththeseeingeyedogs fullyreconstructed.Hispatellauntil 2014 when he moved to the Dallas was fractured, his femoral arteryplatoon was hit by two 155mm artillery shells buriedarea.There,Michaelbecamecertified was cut, and he flatlined. It tookunderground. The IED threw Michael 20 meters frominEntrepreneurshipatSouthern 30 major surgeries in 12 monthstheirHumvee,crushing45%ofhiscraniumwithMethodist University, eager to start his and 16 months in the hospital andshrapnel that entered through his right eye and exitedown business, and in 2017, established rehabilitationfacilitiestonursethrough his left, cutting everything in between. It tookhiscurrentbusiness,MichaelJernigan Jernigan back to health. 30 major surgeries in 12 months and 16 months in theMotivates.ThoughherecuperatedMichaels favorite saying is, It wasnt physically,Michaelsaiditwashospital and rehabilitation facilities to nurse him backuntil I lost my sight that I gained my then that his troubles really began.to health. vision.Herealizedthatmanypeople Hismentalstatewasfragile;heonly rely on their eyes to see but miss out drank and suffered from depression because with no sight, he felton lifes most precious moments, which need to be felt. Now, he and that he had no purpose. While in the hospital, he met his mentor,his wife, KimberLee travel the country so that Michael can speak John Fales, a Vietnam veteran who had lost his eyesight in 1967.to and motivate children and adults to live their lives with purpose 12GoodLifeFamilyMag.comJANUARY | FEBRUARY 2020'