Jason's Story

With a background in athleticism forged during his military service and experience as an avid cyclist, most of Jason’s Saturday mornings were spent riding 30 or more miles with his cycling group. While the father of ten was riding on a Saturday morning, he gained speed just as he began to round a corner. Suddenly, his front tire clipped the bicycle ahead of him and Jason was thrown to the ground, crushing his helmet, injuring his brain and forever changing his life and the lives of his wife and children.

Jason woke up in the hospital surrounded by his ten children and his wife, but to him, they were strangers. The brain injury he sustained robbed him of a lifetime of memories of his family, and his ability to walk and talk. His diagnosis would require him to spend the next four months completing inpatient rehabilitation to relearn to walk, talk and try to rebuild his memory. He came to Ability KC seeking to rebuild the essential pieces of his life. Here, Jason was beginning to make huge strides in his recovery. He was walking on his own again, had found his voice, and was regaining his memory. Just as the momentum was building with his achievements, Jason learned his insurance coverage would no longer support his rehabilitation. He had reached the maximum number of visits allowed but he was still not where he needed to be to live fully and independently and support his family. Thanks to the generosity of the Falling Forward Foundation, Jason’s recovery did not end when his benefits ran out.

Together, Falling Forward Foundation and Ability KC empowered Jason to continue regaining the skills and strengths that would allow him to return to his life. At Ability KC, Jason achieved more than he ever imagined possible. With one step left to reach his goal of returning to work, Jason participated in Ability KC’s Driving Program to regain his independence through mobility.

Today, he has found his stride, his voice, and many of the memories he had once lost. He is back to work and is able to provide for his family and experience the satisfaction of meaningful employment. Most importantly, Jason has returned to his role as the husband and father his family once knew. Ability KC and Falling Forward Foundation helped Jason, his wife, and his children rebuild their lives together with the strength, skills, and confidence to experience each day as the family they were before Jason’s brain injury.