This is Chase Kear.
I've blogged about him before because he was part of a pretty big project I did last year.
Chase nearly died on October 2, 2008 while practicing the pole vault at Hutchinson Community College. He bumped his head. Hard.
Chase had a large portion of his skull removed to relieve pressure on his swelling brain. His doctors gave him little hope, and that would be putting it mildly.
On Saturday, a year and a half after his accident, Chase was back in action.
His family, who I got to know over the process of making "The Miracle of Father Kapuan" were on hand to cheer him on. They're good people.
Not one person in Gowans Stadium on Saturday, minus Chase Kear, ever thought they'd see this again.
He cleared 10feet, 6 inches. It wasn't going to win him any medals, but given how far he's come, he might have just as well set a world record.
Yup. He's a big deal. Coincidentally, Chase was featured on ABC news the night before.
I love my job. Always have. Without a doubt, the best part about it is the people you get to meet and the stories you get to share. A lot of those stories just come and go. But some of them, and more importantly, some of the characters, really stick with you. Getting to know Chase and his family has been a great pleasure. Watching Chase Kear leap over that pole on Saturday reminds me that no matter how hard things get, you can overcome just about anything. 
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