Faith That Fights On - Jake Olson, Pastor Joby Martin & Denny Thompson

About this episode

Jake Olson shares his inspiring journey of overcoming blindness and adversity to achieve his dreams in football.

At 12 years old, Jake Olson woke up from surgery knowing he would never see again. After battling cancer for most of his childhood, doctors had run out of options. Removing his remaining eye was the only way to save his life. In an instant, everything changed. He went from being a normal middle school kid who loved sports to learning how to read Braille, relearn how to socialize, and figure out how to live in a world he could no longer see. But what happened next is what makes his story unforgettable. Jake made a decision in that moment that most people never make he refused to become a victim of his circumstances. Instead of letting blindness take the life he loved from him, he chose to fight for it. After losing his sight, Jake made a promise to himself that blindness wasn’t going to rob him of the things he loved. Years later, that promise would lead him back onto the football field, first as a high school player, and eventually as a walk-on long snapper at USC. Despite being completely blind, Jake earned the trust of his coaches and teammates and went on to take the snap in a Division 1 college football game, something he once believed would only be possible if he kept his…

People in this episode

Hosts: Joby Martin, Denny Thompson

Guest: Jake Olson

Topics covered

• adversity
• identity
• blindness
• sports
• cancer
• resilience

Keywords

• blindness
• football
• adversity
• cancer
• resilience
• inspiration
• identity

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