The photo you are looking at it probably just looks like a field to you.  But to Jason Koger it is much, much more.  It's a field that harvests amazing memories from childhood and tragic memories from adulthood.  Here at WBKR, we absolutely love Jason Koger.  He is walking proof that tragedy doesn't have to make you a victim.  No.  He's proof that, if you put your mind and, more importantly, your soul into it, you can pick yourself up from anything, dust yourself off and live better today than you did the day before.  On Sunday morning, Jason posted the photo above on Facebook and shared some amazing words of reflection and wisdom.  I suggest that you take a few minutes and read this.  Jason's words are as powerful as his story and that story will move and inspire you.

From Jason Koger:

Every pictures is worth a thousand words. Every pictures has a memory and a meaning. This photo I am sharing has a ton of emotions from tears to laughs and everything in between. All of you know that I am a bilateral arm amputee that has some amazing technology and wears funny shirts like "Look Ma, No Hands" or " Don't Shoot I Am Unarmed" but what some of you don't know is how it all started. The first 29 years of my life were amazing. I was raised by two of the best parents any one could ever ask for. I had an amazing sister I got to aggravate all the time. I had the chance to work with my dad in his construction company, graduated from college, got to race cars, married my best friend, and had two beautiful little girls. Then on March 1st 2008 my world was turned upside down. This picture is where all that happened. It was a beautiful day, the kids were down for a nap and I was going to take a quick trip around my granddad's farm. That quick ride changed my life when I came in contact with a down 7200 volt powerline. This was enough power to blow my tennis shoe 30 feet, blow my thumb almost off, stop my heart for 30 seconds, and rip my tendings from my fingertips and pop like rubber bands. I woke up on the ground and felt like I was on fire. I remember the fire fighters, the sheriff, and the ambulance. My wife got in the ambulance and off to the hospital I went. At the hospital doctors and nurses were in a rush, my parents came into the room not knowing what to expect. I remember the words of son we have a helicopter on its way to take you to Vanderbilt. I remember the flight, getting unloaded, riding the elevator from the helicopter pad to a hallway, I remember seeing my cousin and a aunt and uncle. Then into a room where everything was stainless steel and bright lights then it was lights out. For 3 days I was in a coma and could not imagine the stress and pain my family and friends were going through trying to figure out will he live? How will we explain the news? Will he be brain dead? How will he live a normal life? Then that day came when I woke up. I had tubes coming out of my mouth, out of my nose, and wires running everywhere. I remember asking for my parents and them walking in. The words I heard from them was this "I don't know how we are going to get through this but we will I promise God will guide us, but they had to amputate both hands in order to save your life." Tears ran down my face but I didn't know if I was upset about my hands or happy to be alive. Those next few days I made my mind up to live my life to the fullest maybe not the easiest but I told myself I will continue to love God, love myself, and stay strong for my family. I had the best doctor (Dr Guy) and the best nurses in the entire world that has and always will have a piece of my heart. The one goal I had to accomplish was to be able to hold my two little girls in my arms again and within a few days I did just that. Nobody will ever know the joy that I felt when I held my 21 month old Billie Grace and my 3 month old Cambell. 12 days after my accident I was released from the hospital and sent home. When I arrived in owensboro I drove past a church that said welcome home Jason we are here for you. That first day I tried to drive my truck and after hours of trying to figure out how to open the door I succeeded and I drove that truck around my yard. Those next few months I was in more pain than anyone could ever imagine. I had to get a hospital bed in my room to sleep, I had skin graphs so was wrapped up like a mummy. How did I survive that? I will tell you my wife and mother became nurses, my community brought us food everyday for months, my family and friends visited to keep my spirits up, I had so many people praying for me it was amazing, I had a 21 month old that fed me. This is how I survived. My community put together a benefit which 3200 people came and even though the money that was raised helped what helped the most was the love and support that I had. I had an OT here that helped me learn everything again. The one thing that I thought would be impossible was to do what I loved and that was to hunt. I had some great friends that proved to me that I would hunt again and after rigging up a gun I killed my first turkey one month after my accident. After this I started getting fitted with prosthetics and not just prosthetics but I became the first bilateral arm amputee with bionic hands made from touch bionics. After getting good with those and having a positive attitude doors started to open and I was able to be on CNN and then I was featured on Skull Bound TV on the sportsman channel with the best host Jana Waller and cameraman Jim Kinsey. I got the opportunity to get fitted by a Rob Dodson with Advanced Arm Dynamics and from then on out I had doors open every step I took. I ended up being Hookman on Hawaii 5-0 which became great friends with all those cast and crew, I received two of the newest hands from touch bionics, I was on Dr Gupta show, Good day Philadelphia, Techknow on Aljazeera American Network, Apple commercial, Addicted to the Outdoors, magazine articles, newspapers, The AP, and ect. Yes I know that stuff is cool but what is cool about all of that is it has allowed me to meet people all over the world and share a story of inspiration, a story of my faith, and a reason to always be positive and live life to the fullest. The best thing after my accident that happened was the birth of my son Axell. A little boy that will be my hands. Today I look back at all the ups and downs that I have experienced, all the pain I endure, all the stress and I realize I wouldn't change any of it. That might sound crazy that I wouldn't want my hands back but I have learned some amazing things that nobody can ever take from me. I learned that God will never give you more than you can handle, I learned that nothing in life is important except for those people that are in your life, I learned that you should wake up every morning and be happy, I have learned to enjoy being in Gods place, and the biggest thing I have learned is to love everybody equally and be good to everyone because none of us are guaranteed tomorrow just today. I don't wake up excited to be an amputee but I do wake up thanking God for everything he has provided me, the people that makes my arms, my family, my friends, my opportunities, and my life. I can not wait to see what else happens in my life and I will end with this no matter what is thrown in my corner I will accept it and live my life to the fullest.

Photo from Jason Koger
Photo from Jason Koger
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If this post meant anything to you please share it with everybody you know, post my website www.jasonkoger.com on all your pages because I want to inspire as many people as I can. Tell them to like my pages- Jason Koger Foundation on FB, Jason Koger fan page on FB, @koger84 on Twitter, jkoger84 on Instagram.

One more thing I'd like for you to take time to do is comment on my page. Give me some encouraging words, a memory, a story and it doesn't matter how well you know me or if you don't know me at all. Thank each and every one of you. I love each one of you.

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