SAN JOSE, CA — When Leonard Vigil, 37, lost consciousness from a roadside bomb while serving in Ramadi, Iraq, for the U.S. Marines from 2001-05, he didn’t realize he would lose much of his vision too.
“I was completely out. (When I came to), there was a lot of smoke and everything was blurry,” the San Jose resident said. The moment during a four-year deployment with the Corps changed his life physically and emotionally. He only had one year left in his term — but it didn’t end soon enough to escape sustaining a traumatic brain injury that dramatically affected his vision. He also mentally dealt with losing 32 soldiers in his battalion. Vigil went to the Veterans Hospital in Palo Alto, worked with a speech therapist and saw a neurologist. All the while, his pull-yourself-up-by-your-bootstraps attitude motivated him to be a good husband and father, work in sales, coach high school wrestling and enroll in Pacific Oaks College’s master’s program in San Jose — despite grappling with “why I wasn’t learning” at the pace he wanted to.
“(My vision) wasn’t as clear as before. Everything was blurrier,” he said. He had 20/200 vision.
“It was hard to adjust,” he said, looking back at the challenging time. Vigil added feeling a sense of isolation being away from his buddies as exacerbating his problems. After all, this was a man who jumped up and tended to his buddies after the bomb blast despite his own injuries. The heroic gesture awarded him the prestigious Purple Heart, a military decoration for those wounded or killed while serving.
This is a man who puts others first. Now as the nation nears Veterans Day next month, a generous foundation and willing eye surgeon put him first this time. A few months ago, the Cost of Courage Foundation identified Vigil to receive the “gift of sight” in Dr. Michael Furlong’s program designed to pick up the tab for those needing eye surgery. Vigil had the surgery done about a week ago, and his vision is now 20/15.
“It is very rewarding for all recipients because we know how impactful (the surgery) can be to change their life,” said Furlong, the ophthalmologist who performed the pro-bono surgery on Vigil.
The lasik surgery only took about 15 minutes. But its impact is expected to last a lifetime.
“I’m just surprised other (medical) providers don’t do it. We went into this field for a reason. It only takes my time and expertise. And for me, it’s worth it,” said Furlong, who met the foundation founder Kelly Estes at a San Jose Earthquakes soccer match. Estes set up a booth for The Cost of Courage Foundation, a four-year-old nonprofit that supports the educational and personal needs of deserving military veterans in the community to ensure a successful transition back into civilian life.
She started her quest to help veterans in 2012 after her great uncle was killed in action. She wrote a book of the same name, and it became a launching pad to the foundation. Indeed, Estes can relate to Vigil’s drive. At age 19, she began serving on Santa Clara County’s Human Relations Commission, a 2009 to 2013 tour of duty that sought to reduce crime in the county brought on by post traumatic stress disorder.
“This taught me a lot. When people return from war, they’re not necessarily safe,” she said.
Her foundation has provided eye surgery for 24 veterans.
“It’s veterans like Leonard you just wanna help,” Estes said.
For more information, visit: https://furlongvision.com/inside-furlong-vision/gift-of-sight/ and www.thecostofcouragefoundation.org.
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–Images courtesy of Jasmine and Leonard Vigil