VISTA, Calif. — An Army Veteran who suffered a brain stem stroke needs your help buying a mobility van.
In this Zevely Zone, I went to Vista to see firsthand the strength of a soldier. After serving his country overseas, Army veteran Jarrod Hahn needs your help just leaving the house.
Jarrod fixed Apache helicopters in the Army. "Jerrod is a veteran. His brother served," said his wife, Vanessa. She and Jarrod have five sons.
"My oldest son is currently in the Army," said Vanessa. "Our second oldest son was in the Army as well and passed away in 2020. Aben (19) took his own life, then last August, came another crushing blow. "He had a brain stem stroke," said Vanessa about her husband Jarrod. "He lost all function in arms and legs, everything," she said.
Ed Berger and volunteers from the Poway Veterans Organization are making Jarrod's home wheelchair accessible.
"We are really looking forward to doing whatever we can for Jarrod and his family," said Ed. "He really needs to get into the bathroom down there. He can go down the hallway, but he can't go into the bathroom."
Jarrod also, can't leave his house without a mobility van, which the family does not have.
"We need to have a way for Jarrod to just get around," said Vanessa.
The family has a GoFundMe page, hoping to raise enough money to buy a mobility van. Without a van, if Jarrod needs to leave the house, "He really can't," said Vanessa. "We can't go anywhere."
Months ago, Jarrod's quality of life was so poor, doctors told the family they might consider euthanasia.
"Unlike other strokes, he never lost any cognitive ability at all," said Vanessa. So, to imply, Jarrod had a life not worth living?
"So callous," said Vanessa who still fumes about it.
Needless to say, Jarrod, an Army veteran was ready to fight. The family showed me a series of videos shot from his hospital bed.
"Look at his head, he is moving his head!" yelled Vanessa. Jarrod was told he'd never get off a ventilator, but he did.
"Can you mouth something? Hi? Hello? Are you looking forward to going to Craig's? I love you," they said in a video.
Jarrod started moving his fingers and legs. "Okay there is Jerrod. Show me what you were doing. He is flexing his muscle keep doing it," said Vanessa in another video.
Then Jarrod was able to defy the odds again and get into a wheelchair.
"There you go," said people at the hospital rooting him on. The man who was told he'd never talk again now has this to say.
"I am just super grateful for everybody that has stepped up, total strangers, people I would never think of," said Jarrod. He speaks quietly and slowly but just talking at all is miraculous.
So, what's next? Jarrod asked us to show viewers a clip of him singing karaoke.
"I would walk 500 miles and I would walk five hundred more," sang Jarrod before his stroke. He was jumping up and down on stage singing the popular Proclaimers song. You know the song. it's about a man who promises to walk 500 miles for the woman he loves.
"I would walk 500 miles and I would walk five hundred more," sang Jarrod who wants us to know he's a soldier working on his final mission.
Jarrod Hahn is a 41-year-old. He suffered his brain stem stroke on August 27, 2022. Jarrod desperately needs a mobility van. If you'd like to donate to the Hahn family to help Jarrod buy a mobility van, please click on the GoFundMe page.