Army veteran Aaron Hale is deaf, blind, and determined to finish the Boston Marathon, the Boston Herald reported.
Hale, a former sergeant, lost his sight in 2011 in Afghanistan when, during an IED sweep, a roadside bomb detonated, spraying shrapnel into his eyes and face.
"In the first days after the blast I was in the bed at Walter Reed feeling sorry for myself," Hale told the Herald. "The 'Why Me's' and 'What If's' flooded my thoughts. It was the love and support of my family that kept me from getting swept away in that downward spiral. Yes, I was blind, but I am also still a father, son, and soldier. My life is not mine alone. My mother, father, brother, sister, son, and my now fiancée hold stake in my life. I wasn't allowed to give up."
He started running after the injury and, even finished the Boston Marathon in 2015. But he contracted bacterial meningitis the following August and was left deaf as a complication. With the help of family and friends, he powered on and continued doing the things he loved. Running was one of them.
"He's one story that needs to be shared," Dr. Nicholas DeFlumeri told the Herald. "Not only is it essentially miraculous what function he has now, but it's miraculous of his spirit. It's miraculous the power of the mind over the human body. If he didn't fixate on these goals, like fixating on this marathon, I don't think he would be where he is, as far as function goes. I don't even think he'd be able to walk."
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