8 Days Till Sunrise: A Story of Survival and Inspiration with Jason Dennen (Episode #70)

Jason DennenDr. Lynn Hellerstein of Vision Beyond Sight speaks with Jason Dennen, author, inspirational speaker, skydiver, mountain climber, triathlete and explorer. Jason talks about his book 8 Days Till Sunrise, and his mission to inspire people by sharing his story of survival and to empower people to get through life’s most difficult hardships by utilizing the lessons they have already learned throughout their lives and by taking advantage of the strength they already possess inside themselves. 

🔊 Click here and tune in to the show now to explore:

  • Jason’s major skydiving accident where he miraculously lived
  • The resolve to train daily after waking up from a coma and undergoing multiple surgeries
  • Jason’s dreams and nightmares when he was in the coma
  • The physical and emotional recovery process 
  • Supports and shortcomings during the 11 months of rehab
  • What it means to have visitors
  • Jason’s new life purpose of sharing his survival story
  • Overcoming limits, prognoses and predictions toward full recovery
  • Big lessons learned on courage, momentum, improvement, dedication and leap of faith
  • Jason’s book 8 Days Till Sunrise

About Jason Dennen:

Jason Dennen is a Christian, author, inspirational speaker, skydiver, mountain climber, triathlete and explorer. He describes himself on most days as just a normal everyday guy. He was born and raised in New Jersey and moved to Colorado to explore and test his limits in the wide-open spaces of the west. He was in a skydiving accident that almost took his life. The doctor who performed emergency lifesaving surgery on him stared at his comatose body the day after the surgery in utter disbelief. The doctor told his family that he couldn’t believe he survived all of the traumatic injuries that he had incurred during the accident. He said that no one survives what Jason just survived. No one.

Jason woke up from a coma that lasted 8 days and required him to undergo multiple surgeries to repair 4 organs and 20 broken bones. His badly broken body required him to stay in the hospital for 3 and a half months, undergo 11 months of rehabilitation and relearn to walk. After being told by his doctor he may never be able to run again, he decided to sign up for a triathlon to test the doctor’s prognosis. Less than 1 year after the accident he completed a triathlon and proved the doctor wrong. The long journey to recovery from the accident allowed him time to reassess the direction of his life and answer the question why was his life spared. This second chance at life revealed to him a new purpose in life. He promised himself that he would share his story and what he learned to help others that are going through difficult hardships in their own lives.

Connect with Jason Dennen:

Website | Facebook | Instagram  

Book: 8 Days Till Sunrise

This is a story about a man going down a path he hadn’t intended to go down where he lost his way. He thought he was going through one of life’s difficult trials when he hit the side of a building at high speed in a skydiving accident. And that is when his real trial began. The accident left him in a coma for 8 days. He woke up from the coma to a badly broken body that required him to stay in the hospital for 3 and a half months and undergo 11 months of rehabilitation and relearn to walk. The accident was a blessing as the recovery from the accident allowed him time to rest and reevaluate his path and purpose in life. As he started to recover physically, he also started recovering mentally and spiritually. He determined the steps he needed to take to change his life and become the person he wanted to become again.

"Coming back from all these injuries isn’t just about me. It’s about what I could help. If I can come back from these injuries and come back from these long odds, well then that’s a story that I can tell and help other people. It became more than just coming back for me. It’s coming back for all the people I could potentially help.– Jason Dennen 


Dr. Lynn Hellerstein, Developmental Optometrist, co-owner of Hellerstein & Brenner Vision Center, P.C., award-winning author and international speaker, holds powerful and inspiring conversations with her guests in the areas of health, wellness, education, sports and psychology. They share their inspirational stories of healing and transformation through their vision expansion. Vision Beyond Sight Podcast will help you see with clarity, gain courage and confidence. Welcome to Vision Beyond Sight!

Dr. Lynn’s books are available at Amazon.com and www.lynnhellerstein.com/shop.

Dr. Lynn is available for speaking engagements and consulting. For more information, visit www.lynnhellerstein.com.

To learn more about vision therapy or to find a doctor providing vision therapy in your area, visit: COVD.org.

To learn more about vision and the impact in concussion/brain injury, visit: Neuro-Optometric Rehabilitation Association.

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About Dr. Lynn

A pioneer in vision therapy and developmental optometry, for more than 30 years, Dr. Lynn Hellerstein has helped thousands of children and adults improve their vision and transform their lives — at home, in the classroom, and most recently on the playing field. Her breakthrough methods unlock barriers to learning and “rewire” around brain injuries, and vision perception or processing deficits. But you don’t have to have a vision problem to benefit: her brain training strategies may be the missing magic if you’re an athlete trying to nail a tricky shot or stay cool in competition. If it’s a skill you can visualize, Dr. Hellerstein can help train your eyes — and mind’s eye — on success.

Award-winning and #1 bestselling author, Dr. Lynn has published numerous professional peer reviewed articles, chapters and four books.

See It. Say It. Do It! (2009) - How to see/recognize your goal, declare your intention, and taking action to achieve your vision.

See It. Say It. Do It! Organize It! (2011) - How to create a step by step process to make achieving your goal a reality.

50 Tips To Improve Your Sports Performance (2013) - How to improve your sports performance today by enhancing eye-mind-body coordination skills, achieving the mental edge, and preventing injuries.

Expand Your Vision (2021) - Discover the power of the seeing brain…the creator of your true vision. Gain Clarity, Courage, and Confidence. In this #1 Amazon best-selling innovative newest book, the power of visualizing and believing in the process to break through internal barriers and create new possibilities for achieving your goal is explored. Visualization can be used to increase creativity, to reduce stress and anxiety, and to build confidence in all of the things that they do.