Joshua Bleill’s inspirational speech radiated enthusiasm throughout DCHS on Sept. 5, 2013. This ex-marine spoke of his story and how positivity and enthusiasm can get you through any obstacle, as they did for Josh.
Josh, joining the marines after 9/11, was only two weeks into his tour when his vehicle was struck by a roadside bomb. In October 2006, Josh woke up in a strange hospital in Germany with no memory of what had happened to him. He rose out of his 5 day coma to find out he had a broken jaw, a mouth wired shut, 34 screws in his pelvis, no legs, and a tracheotomy to help him breathe. These tragic injuries were not the worst thing Josh heard this day; Josh found out his two best friends died in the same bombing that caused his injuries.
“There’s reasons that things happen. There’s reasons that this happened and I have a new mission at hand,” Josh said. This type of positive attitude is the exact medicine that saved Josh Bleill. Josh always looked on the bright side and even maintained a sense of humor through his troubling times.
During his speech, the determined Marine shared all the great opportunities that he gained through his double amputation. He met many Colts players in the hospital and now works for the Colts organization, he got to attend the Colts/Bears Super Bowl, he got to attend an elite concert by Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood, he got to be the first to try an advanced set of prosthetic legs, and many more.
Though this seems like Josh Bleill had the dream life, he went through many hardships along the way. Recovering wasn’t easy, and he had to do it twice. Once Bleill was approaching recovery, he got an infection in both legs. After all of his hard work, he needed another amputation on each leg. Extremely discouraged, Bleill started the whole process over again. After two painstaking years in a rehabilitation center, Bleill went home to Indiana.
Bleill speaks all over the country. His message is heard loud and clear in many different schools, each sentence changing lives. After his traumatic experience, Josh stayed positive. This attitude got him his job, a wife, two kids, and a new outlook on life. Despite everything, Josh is a stronger person now. His powerful message is to take every bad experience and learn a lesson from it. He taught us all how to approach adversity with a positive attitude and ultimately become a better person as a result.
