WARNING: Some descriptions of injury may be disturbing to some readers. Discretion is advised.
(CASTLE ROCK, Colo.) — Nearly 10 years after a horrific car accident at age 18, Castle Rock native Jackson Davis is speaking out about his journey to try and help others.
His family says it all started when they were hit by a drunk driver with road rage.
After enlisting in the Marines to follow in his dad’s footsteps, Davis and his father took a road trip to see where he’d graduate from boot camp. When they tried to return home, they got hit north of Pueblo. They say their car knocked out 75 feet of guardrail.
His doctors said he may never walk, talk, or even wake up again.
“There was a time in my life when I actually, wished I’d actually died, because I was in so much pain,” said Davis.
Davis went through trauma many can’t even imagine. Leg bones pierced through his skin,
a guard rail went through his arm, and he sustained a brain injury with lasting impacts.
“My whole goal in life was to go be like my dad. I wanted to be in the Marines, and that would just be taken from you, split of the instance. At that time in my life I didn’t really believe in God because I was like, ‘Why would you do this to me?'” said Davis.
Now looking back, Davis says it was God who got him and his family through the uncertainty, heartbreak, and the seemingly never-ending challenges that followed.
“Very traumatic for everybody that was involved, and it still is. Just waking up in the car, I remember the first thing that came out of my mouth was, I said, ‘Jackson, we wouldn’t be here if the Lord didn’t send his angels,'” said Jackson’s dad, Timothy Davis.
Over the past 10 years, he’s gone from learning to walk again to running full-distance triathlons, also known as IRONMANs.
“It’s by the grace of God. He’s been there throughout every single trial in my life, and he’s helped lead me in the right direction to be able to do what I’m doing now,” said Davis.
He’s now introducing others to his faith, and showing them that they are also built to endure, through his faith-based movement, “Built To Endure 40.”
“It doesn’t have to be like a traumatic brain injury. It can be depression, anxiety, or just, you know, even taking your first step in your journey. I want to be that person, that someone can relate to, someone that they can reach out to for hope, inspiration. Just keep pushing your hardest days. My ultimate message is for people to keep enduring the process and never lose hope, and when you are hopeless, lean into God, and he will tell you what you’re supposed to do with your life,” said Davis.
You can follow Built to Endure 40 on social media, where Davis is currently spreading his message.
In the future, he hopes to reach larger audiences and open a therapeutic retreat to help people going through tough times.
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