1 00:00:02,879 --> 00:00:05,879 Speaker 1: Jamie gripped the hose and aimed a steady stream along 2 00:00:05,879 --> 00:00:08,480 a fence line to prevent the fire from jumping in. 3 00:00:08,880 --> 00:00:13,000 Speaker 2: It was so hot and you can't communicate with the truck. 4 00:00:13,199 --> 00:00:15,000 You just had to give them handsignals. 5 00:00:15,640 --> 00:00:19,039 Speaker 1: Suddenly the fire shifted and started moving toward in the 6 00:00:19,039 --> 00:00:20,679 brush truck Jamie was on. 7 00:00:21,000 --> 00:00:23,000 Speaker 2: And so on. In the back of my little brush truck 8 00:00:23,199 --> 00:00:25,000 is two ten gallon gas tanks. 9 00:00:25,399 --> 00:00:29,120 Speaker 1: The wall of fire closed the distance. Jamie could see it, 10 00:00:29,440 --> 00:00:30,359 he could feel it. 11 00:00:30,719 --> 00:00:39,039 Speaker 2: I'm thinking, man, here comes this fire. I'm going to explode. 12 00:00:39,280 --> 00:00:43,280 Speaker 1: This is the Miracle Files. I'm Emily Jones. 13 00:00:42,920 --> 00:00:44,200 Speaker 3: And I'm Holly Worthington. 14 00:00:44,719 --> 00:00:48,359 Speaker 4: We're two sisters who love a captivating true story, but 15 00:00:48,359 --> 00:00:50,520 we're also seeking more light in our lives. 16 00:00:50,960 --> 00:00:54,159 Speaker 1: So we're on a mission to find and share unforgettable, 17 00:00:54,399 --> 00:00:58,880 uplifting stories of God's miracles. We hope you'll join us 18 00:00:58,960 --> 00:01:00,719 on this journey. 19 00:01:02,079 --> 00:01:04,879 Speaker 3: Welcome back to the Miracle Files. We get to introduce 20 00:01:04,959 --> 00:01:08,480 you to an amazing man today. His name is Jamie Cashin. 21 00:01:09,000 --> 00:01:12,920 Speaker 1: Yeah, he is incredible and you're going to find out why. 22 00:01:13,079 --> 00:01:16,640 But before we start, here's just a little glimpse of 23 00:01:16,760 --> 00:01:18,000 what he's had to go through. 24 00:01:18,840 --> 00:01:20,200 Speaker 5: I get stared at every day. 25 00:01:20,319 --> 00:01:22,599 Speaker 2: You know, people will ask why you melted, but you 26 00:01:22,640 --> 00:01:25,280 know what's wrong with your fingers. I think it's just 27 00:01:25,280 --> 00:01:29,239 a built in empathy that these kids have because they're 28 00:01:29,319 --> 00:01:30,120 just so innocent. 29 00:01:31,359 --> 00:01:33,959 Speaker 4: Yeah, this man has scars and what he went through 30 00:01:34,239 --> 00:01:38,200 was so crazy. But we promise you before this ends, 31 00:01:38,280 --> 00:01:40,560 you will love both this man and his story. 32 00:01:41,040 --> 00:01:49,359 Speaker 1: Yeah, you really will. All right, let's get started. The 33 00:01:49,400 --> 00:01:53,040 first fire that changed Jamie Cashon's life didn't begin in 34 00:01:53,079 --> 00:01:58,640 an open field. It started at home. Jamie grew up 35 00:01:58,680 --> 00:02:02,799 in Joshua, Texas, a small town with one stoplight and 36 00:02:02,840 --> 00:02:05,920 the kind of familiarity where people notice when someone else's 37 00:02:06,000 --> 00:02:09,599 dog is in the wrong yard. In other words, news 38 00:02:09,639 --> 00:02:12,919 travels quickly in a place like that, and one day 39 00:02:13,199 --> 00:02:16,439 Jamie received news that no fifteen year old boy wants 40 00:02:16,479 --> 00:02:19,800 to hear. He was at school when he was informed 41 00:02:19,960 --> 00:02:23,759 that his family's house was on fire. His mother had 42 00:02:23,840 --> 00:02:28,719 left the dryer running, which had somehow ignited. Volunteer firefighters 43 00:02:28,759 --> 00:02:31,360 were called, but everyone in the department was at their 44 00:02:31,439 --> 00:02:35,280 day jobs. No one could get to the fire quickly, and. 45 00:02:35,240 --> 00:02:37,080 Speaker 2: It took a long long time from fire deform it 46 00:02:37,159 --> 00:02:38,599 to get there to put it out. 47 00:02:38,960 --> 00:02:42,319 Speaker 1: By the time the firefighters arrived, the damage was done. 48 00:02:43,039 --> 00:02:46,719 The worst part. Two of his family's pets had died 49 00:02:46,759 --> 00:02:51,719 in the fire. Family photographs and childhood keepsakes were gone. 50 00:02:51,960 --> 00:02:56,439 The structure still stood, but something inside Jamie shifted permanently 51 00:02:56,479 --> 00:03:00,439 that day. He felt heartbroken at the loss of his home, 52 00:03:01,039 --> 00:03:05,080 but beneath the grief, he also felt something else resolve. 53 00:03:06,039 --> 00:03:09,240 Jamie was determined to do whatever he could to keep 54 00:03:09,280 --> 00:03:13,599 other families from experiencing the same kind of trauma, so, 55 00:03:13,719 --> 00:03:16,599 at fifteen years of age, he decided to become a 56 00:03:16,680 --> 00:03:18,439 volunteer firefighter himself. 57 00:03:19,479 --> 00:03:21,400 Speaker 2: So I thought to myself, you know, if I join 58 00:03:21,439 --> 00:03:23,439 this fire department, I've got lots of energy. 59 00:03:23,960 --> 00:03:25,319 Speaker 5: I can get to the station quick. 60 00:03:25,800 --> 00:03:29,879 Speaker 2: You can get out of school, and frankly, girls thought 61 00:03:29,879 --> 00:03:30,719 firemen were cool. 62 00:03:31,680 --> 00:03:35,319 Speaker 1: At fifteen, the decision seemed like a no brainer to Jamie, 63 00:03:35,840 --> 00:03:38,280 but there was someone who didn't find it a good idea. 64 00:03:38,439 --> 00:03:41,919 Speaker 5: In the slightest you had to sign a form. 65 00:03:41,919 --> 00:03:43,639 Speaker 2: My mother had to sign a permission for him, and 66 00:03:43,680 --> 00:03:45,000 she wouldn't do it. She's like, you know, what is 67 00:03:45,039 --> 00:03:47,000 too dangerous. I'm gon'n let you do it. If your 68 00:03:47,039 --> 00:03:48,400 dad wants you to do it, you can do it. 69 00:03:48,439 --> 00:03:51,000 And I just threw back, Well, my granddad was a firefighter, 70 00:03:51,319 --> 00:03:54,280 My uncles, my cousins, we got a lot of firefighters. 71 00:03:54,639 --> 00:03:56,199 Speaker 5: They've been fine. I'll be fine. 72 00:03:57,000 --> 00:04:00,360 Speaker 1: Jamie's mother refused to sign the form his his father 73 00:04:00,520 --> 00:04:04,199 finally consented. It may sound strange for a teenager to 74 00:04:04,319 --> 00:04:08,319 join a volunteer fire department, but Jamie wasn't just any teenager. 75 00:04:09,000 --> 00:04:12,400 Responsibility had been part of his life for many years. 76 00:04:12,879 --> 00:04:15,560 When he was five years old, his mother was paralyzed 77 00:04:15,599 --> 00:04:17,879 from the waist down in a car accident that broke 78 00:04:17,920 --> 00:04:22,120 her neck. From that moment forward, childhood looked a little 79 00:04:22,120 --> 00:04:25,439 different for Jamie than most kids. He learned how to 80 00:04:25,439 --> 00:04:28,920 bathe his mother, He learned how to catheterize her. He 81 00:04:29,040 --> 00:04:31,839 learned how to assist with things most children are never 82 00:04:31,959 --> 00:04:35,759 asked to see or do. While other boys were still 83 00:04:35,800 --> 00:04:41,519 insulated from hardship, Jamie was quietly stepping into manhood. Though 84 00:04:41,600 --> 00:04:46,920 challenging at times, Jamie's childhood was also inspiring. He watched 85 00:04:46,920 --> 00:04:50,920 as his mother refused to surrender to her circumstances. Though 86 00:04:50,920 --> 00:04:53,879 confined to a wheelchair, she had a zest for life 87 00:04:54,199 --> 00:04:56,000 and a fire burning inside of her. 88 00:04:57,040 --> 00:05:00,439 Speaker 2: She could still ride roller coaster. She went Paris outland. 89 00:05:00,600 --> 00:05:02,439 She didn't give up on laugh. 90 00:05:03,439 --> 00:05:07,199 Speaker 1: That strength imprinted itself on her son. After joining the 91 00:05:07,240 --> 00:05:11,279 volunteer team, Jamie bought his own fireproof jacket. Because the 92 00:05:11,319 --> 00:05:15,839 department did not have excess funds, he responded to every 93 00:05:15,879 --> 00:05:21,199 call his pager announced, dumpster fires, brush fires, minor emergencies. 94 00:05:22,040 --> 00:05:25,680 By the time he turned sixteen, he had gained some experience, 95 00:05:26,360 --> 00:05:29,639 but unfortunately not the kind that prepares you for a 96 00:05:29,680 --> 00:05:34,839 county wide catastrophe that came on February twenty fourth, nineteen 97 00:05:34,879 --> 00:05:39,199 eighty four. When his pager sounded that day, the dispatcher's 98 00:05:39,279 --> 00:05:42,519 voice carried an urgency that made Jamie's pulse quicken. 99 00:05:43,680 --> 00:05:46,079 Speaker 2: The pager went off, and this lady's screaming, Hey, this 100 00:05:46,120 --> 00:05:49,439 is a big fire. We've got fort Worth going to assist. 101 00:05:49,519 --> 00:05:51,720 All these small towns are coming together to help. This 102 00:05:51,759 --> 00:05:54,600 is a twenty five hundred acre grass fire. And the 103 00:05:54,639 --> 00:05:57,759 flyings are eighteen feet high and the winds are gusted 104 00:05:57,759 --> 00:05:58,000 at to. 105 00:05:58,000 --> 00:06:00,959 Speaker 5: Forty two miles an hour. So I know you've heard it. 106 00:06:01,240 --> 00:06:03,199 Speaker 2: God will give you never more than you could handle. 107 00:06:03,720 --> 00:06:07,279 And there were several signs that day that God didn't 108 00:06:07,399 --> 00:06:08,399 me on that fire. 109 00:06:08,160 --> 00:06:09,240 Speaker 5: But I ignored all of them. 110 00:06:09,240 --> 00:06:11,160 Speaker 2: I was too pumped up, too fired up, and one 111 00:06:11,279 --> 00:06:13,439 to get on sane and just wanted to do my deal. 112 00:06:14,160 --> 00:06:17,560 Speaker 1: In February, the grass in Texas is dry and brittle, 113 00:06:18,120 --> 00:06:20,879 and on this particular ranch, the grass had grown to 114 00:06:20,959 --> 00:06:28,759 over three feet tall. Fuel waiting to ignite. Jammie climbed 115 00:06:28,759 --> 00:06:31,959 onto a brush truck and f two fifty fitted with 116 00:06:32,000 --> 00:06:35,079 a five hundred gallon water tank, and took his position 117 00:06:35,319 --> 00:06:37,439 in a small cage at the front of the truck. 118 00:06:38,360 --> 00:06:41,399 He gripped the hose and aimed a steady stream along 119 00:06:41,399 --> 00:06:44,120 a fence line to prevent the fire from jumping it. 120 00:06:45,160 --> 00:06:49,079 Smoke rose across the field and the flames crackled. The 121 00:06:49,160 --> 00:06:52,879 heat was intense enough to singe the hair on his arms. 122 00:06:53,439 --> 00:06:57,560 Speaker 2: It was so hot, and you can't communicate with the truck. 123 00:06:57,800 --> 00:07:00,199 You can now, Back then you could not. We just 124 00:07:00,199 --> 00:07:04,000 had to give them handstickles. So it's scorching me pretty bad. 125 00:07:04,079 --> 00:07:05,639 Then all of a sudden we got a May Day 126 00:07:06,079 --> 00:07:06,759 on the radio. 127 00:07:07,959 --> 00:07:11,560 Speaker 1: Larry Stevens, a local feed store owner in his thirties 128 00:07:11,600 --> 00:07:14,560 and a father of three, had volunteered to help drive 129 00:07:14,600 --> 00:07:18,879 a water tanker. He was not experienced with the manual transmission, 130 00:07:19,160 --> 00:07:21,519 and his truck stalled in the middle of the ranch, 131 00:07:22,000 --> 00:07:25,959 surrounded by unburned grass, with the fire closing in on him. 132 00:07:26,920 --> 00:07:29,240 To reach him, the crew would have to drive through 133 00:07:29,240 --> 00:07:33,399 that same tall grass. Jamie moved from the front platform 134 00:07:33,480 --> 00:07:35,360 to the back of the brush truck so they could 135 00:07:35,360 --> 00:07:40,120 move faster. Suddenly, the fire shifted and started moving toward 136 00:07:40,199 --> 00:07:43,360 both Larry Stevens and the brush truck Jamie was on. 137 00:07:44,480 --> 00:07:49,480 Speaker 2: The wind had changed directions and started coming towards us. 138 00:07:50,399 --> 00:07:53,879 Speaker 1: The raging inferno was frightening enough, but there was something 139 00:07:53,920 --> 00:07:56,800 else that scared Jamie even more so. 140 00:07:56,920 --> 00:07:58,920 Speaker 2: On the back of my little brush truck is two 141 00:07:59,079 --> 00:08:01,439 ten gallon gas tanks, like you'd see on the back 142 00:08:01,439 --> 00:08:03,279 of the old Jeeves in case she ran out of gas. 143 00:08:03,360 --> 00:08:05,079 Speaker 5: And I'm thinking, man, here comes to fire. 144 00:08:05,920 --> 00:08:09,120 Speaker 2: By these two ten gallon gas tanks, I'm going to explode. 145 00:08:09,879 --> 00:08:13,879 Speaker 1: What had seemed safe and manageable suddenly was not. The 146 00:08:13,920 --> 00:08:17,680 wall of fire closed the distance. Jamie could see it, 147 00:08:18,040 --> 00:08:21,360 he could feel it. The gas tanks were going to blow. 148 00:08:21,959 --> 00:08:25,720 Jamie couldn't just sit there without telling the driver, without 149 00:08:25,759 --> 00:08:29,240 even knowing if the driver noticed, Jamie jumped off the 150 00:08:29,240 --> 00:08:31,399 truck and hit the ground running. 151 00:08:32,039 --> 00:08:35,120 Speaker 2: And I'm running the opposite direction of the fire. And 152 00:08:35,159 --> 00:08:37,000 then the wind changed directions again. 153 00:08:38,080 --> 00:08:41,159 Speaker 1: The fire had shifted so that Jamie was actually running 154 00:08:41,240 --> 00:08:45,600 toward the flames. He adjusted his direction, but time was 155 00:08:45,639 --> 00:08:49,399 something he wasn't just short on. Time was out. Grass 156 00:08:49,399 --> 00:08:53,919 fires don't creep forward slowly. They advanced with terrifying speed. 157 00:08:54,639 --> 00:08:58,639 Within seconds, the flames caught up to Jamie. They began 158 00:08:58,759 --> 00:09:02,879 licking at his back. Curiously, Jamie was out of options. 159 00:09:03,360 --> 00:09:05,799 He thought back on his training, and. 160 00:09:05,720 --> 00:09:07,360 Speaker 5: You're supposed to stop, drop and roll. 161 00:09:07,799 --> 00:09:10,840 Speaker 2: So I'm rolling. And as I'm rolling, I'm just cooking. 162 00:09:11,000 --> 00:09:13,039 Because I'm in the middle of the spire. 163 00:09:13,600 --> 00:09:16,559 Speaker 1: There was no safe, already burned ground to drop onto, 164 00:09:17,120 --> 00:09:21,240 no blackened refuge, only dry grass being swallowed up by 165 00:09:21,279 --> 00:09:26,399 the flames. Jamie's flesh was literally melting, the ground itself 166 00:09:26,519 --> 00:09:30,519 was burning. Rolling did nothing to extinguish flames that were 167 00:09:30,559 --> 00:09:35,519 fed by everything around him. His fireproof coat ignited. Flames 168 00:09:35,600 --> 00:09:38,759 shot up the collar and onto his face. The roar 169 00:09:38,840 --> 00:09:43,720 of the fire was overwhelming, swallowing all other sound, smoke, 170 00:09:43,799 --> 00:09:47,600 and heat disoriented him. He couldn't see clearly, he couldn't 171 00:09:47,639 --> 00:09:52,080 hear anyone calling his name. In that moment, a realization 172 00:09:52,200 --> 00:09:58,320 settled over him with absolute certainty. He was going to die. 173 00:09:58,399 --> 00:10:02,440 He only had one place to turn. He needed God's help. 174 00:10:03,480 --> 00:10:05,440 Speaker 2: And I'm crying out to God not to make a deal. 175 00:10:06,080 --> 00:10:08,559 But I'm just like, please don't let me die. I'm 176 00:10:08,600 --> 00:10:11,279 only sixteen, you know I don't want to die. 177 00:10:11,519 --> 00:10:14,000 Speaker 5: Save me, save me, save it. I'm screaming this. 178 00:10:15,200 --> 00:10:18,080 Speaker 1: Then something happened that Jamie has never been able to 179 00:10:18,120 --> 00:10:24,080 explain through natural means. He felt himself being lifted. He 180 00:10:24,120 --> 00:10:25,320 felt his body rise. 181 00:10:27,120 --> 00:10:31,600 Speaker 2: Either Lord, God himself, Jesus, or an angel. Somebody lifted 182 00:10:31,639 --> 00:10:35,440 me up without a fact, somebody lifted me up. I 183 00:10:35,480 --> 00:10:37,679 did not get up on my own accord, not at all. 184 00:10:37,840 --> 00:10:40,039 And no fireman lifted me up because there was only 185 00:10:40,080 --> 00:10:43,080 one left and he had been burned to death doing that, 186 00:10:44,080 --> 00:10:46,320 so no one went in the fire and pulled me out. 187 00:10:46,559 --> 00:10:50,639 Speaker 5: I physically rose up. I just simply coasted. 188 00:10:51,720 --> 00:10:54,759 Speaker 2: I was perpendicular, several felt the ground, and I couldn't 189 00:10:54,759 --> 00:10:56,480 see because my face was on fire. 190 00:10:57,679 --> 00:11:01,519 Speaker 5: Physically rose up and when directly to a fireman. 191 00:11:03,360 --> 00:11:07,279 Speaker 1: Dwayne Caps, the firefighter and driver of the truck, saw 192 00:11:07,399 --> 00:11:11,639 Jamie near the fire's edge and rushed forward, suffering second 193 00:11:11,720 --> 00:11:15,919 degree burns himself while beating out the flames consuming Jamie's body. 194 00:11:16,799 --> 00:11:20,320 Dwayne placed Jamie on the back of the truck. Jamie's 195 00:11:20,320 --> 00:11:24,480 mind raced with questions, am I going to die? His 196 00:11:24,559 --> 00:11:29,320 boots were still smoldering, melting into his feet through the smoke. 197 00:11:29,840 --> 00:11:32,480 With Jamie jostling in the back of the truck, still 198 00:11:32,519 --> 00:11:37,519 writhing in pain, Dwayne raced toward town. The eighteen foot 199 00:11:37,559 --> 00:11:42,440 flames had tragically engulfed Larry Stevens, the man driving the 200 00:11:42,480 --> 00:11:46,919 other truck. They should have taken Jamie as well, even 201 00:11:47,000 --> 00:11:50,080 so he would still have to journey through the flames 202 00:11:50,120 --> 00:11:50,879 of adversity. 203 00:11:52,279 --> 00:11:56,960 Speaker 2: So we finally get to a small hospital called Huglee Hospital, 204 00:11:57,600 --> 00:12:00,399 and as they willed me in, I was filmfare aware 205 00:12:00,399 --> 00:12:02,360 of what was going on. Matter of fact, it hurts 206 00:12:02,360 --> 00:12:05,000 so bad that it just didn't hurt anymore, because it 207 00:12:05,080 --> 00:12:08,320 hurts so bad cooking that you just you just don't, 208 00:12:08,559 --> 00:12:09,480 you just didn't fill it. 209 00:12:09,639 --> 00:12:10,919 Speaker 5: God puts you in shock. 210 00:12:12,039 --> 00:12:15,240 Speaker 1: Jamie was still conscious enough to remember being wheeled through 211 00:12:15,279 --> 00:12:18,200 the doors of the hospital He remembers the sound of 212 00:12:18,240 --> 00:12:21,960 his mother arriving, the loud, metallic click of her ring 213 00:12:22,279 --> 00:12:25,679 hitting the spokes of her wheelchair as she hurried toward him. 214 00:12:26,240 --> 00:12:29,120 Even though she'd been a paraplegic since Jamie was five 215 00:12:29,200 --> 00:12:33,639 years old, at that moment, she moved faster than anyone 216 00:12:33,679 --> 00:12:38,399 else in the room. She screamed Jamie's name. He told 217 00:12:38,399 --> 00:12:42,759 her he was okay, but he wasn't. From there, Jamie 218 00:12:42,840 --> 00:12:46,200 was airlifted to Parkland Hospital in Dallas, home to one 219 00:12:46,200 --> 00:12:49,919 of the state's major burn units. Doctors placed him in 220 00:12:49,960 --> 00:12:53,480 a medically induced coma for weeks, but when he awoke, 221 00:12:53,919 --> 00:12:57,879 the real battle began. Thirty six percent of his body 222 00:12:57,879 --> 00:13:01,360 had been burned, much of it third degree. His left 223 00:13:01,440 --> 00:13:07,120 side was worse, face, hand leg, his lungs had suffered 224 00:13:07,159 --> 00:13:11,159 damage from the heat and smoke. Skin grafts became routine. 225 00:13:11,879 --> 00:13:15,440 Dead tissue had to be washed away daily. At Parkland, 226 00:13:15,759 --> 00:13:20,960 they administered strong pain medication, even so it was excruciating. 227 00:13:22,000 --> 00:13:25,000 Speaker 2: They will slash skin off your body when it's healed 228 00:13:25,039 --> 00:13:26,799 and put it in a proper place, But if you 229 00:13:26,840 --> 00:13:30,279 don't have that available or you're dying, they give you pigskin, 230 00:13:31,279 --> 00:13:33,840 so they put pig skin on parts of my legs, 231 00:13:34,360 --> 00:13:35,200 parts of my face. 232 00:13:36,080 --> 00:13:39,879 Speaker 1: When a doctor recommended amputating three of Jamie's fingers, his 233 00:13:40,000 --> 00:13:44,720 mother intervened, sitting in her wheelchair beside Jamie's bed. She 234 00:13:44,879 --> 00:13:48,279 refused the doctor's recommendation, and. 235 00:13:48,200 --> 00:13:49,559 Speaker 2: He says, hey, we're going to have to cut off 236 00:13:49,679 --> 00:13:52,679 these three fingers because they're not going to be useful. 237 00:13:53,120 --> 00:13:56,120 And my mother was there and she says, well, I 238 00:13:56,159 --> 00:13:58,360 can't use my legs, but you're not going to cut 239 00:13:58,360 --> 00:14:00,559 them off. I want to keep them. He's going to 240 00:14:00,600 --> 00:14:02,200 keep his fingers so that he can use him or not. 241 00:14:03,039 --> 00:14:06,360 Speaker 1: Her voice carried the authority of someone who had already 242 00:14:06,399 --> 00:14:17,320 lost enough. Eventually, Jamie was transferred to Shriners Burn Institute 243 00:14:17,360 --> 00:14:22,279 in Galveston, where treatment grew even harsher. There he endured 244 00:14:22,399 --> 00:14:26,279 daily bardement to remove the dead and damaged tissue in 245 00:14:26,320 --> 00:14:30,639 a bleach filled tub without pain medication. The pain, he 246 00:14:30,679 --> 00:14:35,440 would later say, surpassed the fire itself. The only day 247 00:14:35,480 --> 00:14:39,559 he was spared the scrubbing was surgery day, and surgery 248 00:14:39,679 --> 00:14:43,440 felt like relief. There were moments when he wanted to quit, 249 00:14:44,159 --> 00:14:47,759 when the pain and exhaustion felt heavier than hope. He 250 00:14:47,879 --> 00:14:51,120 told his family. He was tired and ready to give up. 251 00:14:52,480 --> 00:14:55,840 Speaker 2: My mother fell out of her wheelchair and pulled herself 252 00:14:55,879 --> 00:14:59,000 across their arms, then tried to lift herself up and said, 253 00:14:59,000 --> 00:14:59,960 I don't have these lags. 254 00:15:00,519 --> 00:15:03,200 Speaker 5: I never gave up, and you will not give up. 255 00:15:03,360 --> 00:15:04,480 You will not give up. 256 00:15:05,720 --> 00:15:09,919 Speaker 1: So he didn't. Instead, he fought through months of grueling 257 00:15:09,960 --> 00:15:13,159 recovery until he was finally released from the burn center. 258 00:15:13,919 --> 00:15:17,240 But then, upon returning to high school, he faced a 259 00:15:17,279 --> 00:15:20,879 different kind of fire. To keep his scars from thickening, 260 00:15:21,080 --> 00:15:23,960 he had to wear a tight plastic face mask twenty 261 00:15:24,000 --> 00:15:27,200 three hours a day. His hands were fitted with splints 262 00:15:27,279 --> 00:15:31,080 and wires that stretched his healing fingers. When he walked 263 00:15:31,080 --> 00:15:35,320 into a private school hallway wearing that mask, teenagers stared, 264 00:15:36,000 --> 00:15:41,600 some pointed, some laughed. Humiliation burned almost as fiercely as 265 00:15:41,639 --> 00:15:46,799 the flames had. He called home, asking to leave. His 266 00:15:46,879 --> 00:15:51,679 mother listened quietly and then asked one question, and. 267 00:15:51,679 --> 00:15:53,759 Speaker 2: She goes, how did you get to this phone? And 268 00:15:53,799 --> 00:15:55,120 I said A part me. She goes, how'd you get 269 00:15:55,120 --> 00:15:57,519 to the phone to call me? I said, well, I'll waltkch. 270 00:15:57,559 --> 00:16:00,279 She goes, that's right. I'll never fill the grass, never 271 00:16:00,320 --> 00:16:03,000 swim I'll never run on, never jog, I'll never ski. 272 00:16:03,559 --> 00:16:07,000 Now you walk back to your desk and you learn them. 273 00:16:07,879 --> 00:16:13,559 Yeah she was something and yeah, very very very very strong, 274 00:16:14,080 --> 00:16:15,000 and that's what you need. 275 00:16:15,080 --> 00:16:16,840 Speaker 5: You know that, God knew that's what I needed. 276 00:16:17,799 --> 00:16:22,240 Speaker 1: Over time, survival became something more than endurance. With a 277 00:16:22,279 --> 00:16:25,919 mother who encouraged Jamie to fight and a mighty God 278 00:16:26,000 --> 00:16:31,200 who healed Jamie's life, Jamie returned to service, eventually becoming 279 00:16:31,240 --> 00:16:35,799 a reserve firefighter and working in fire prevention. He now 280 00:16:35,840 --> 00:16:40,279 teaches young children about fire safety, standing before them openly 281 00:16:40,320 --> 00:16:44,440 scarred and unashamed, using his own story as a warning 282 00:16:44,600 --> 00:16:48,919 and a testimony. He also devotes his life to martial arts, 283 00:16:49,480 --> 00:16:52,440 rising through the ranks over decades to a tenth degree 284 00:16:52,480 --> 00:16:56,840 black belt, the highest rank in American karate. What began 285 00:16:57,000 --> 00:16:59,960 as a way to defend himself has become a platform 286 00:17:00,080 --> 00:17:05,559 to encourage others, especially children who feel different, invisible, or broken. 287 00:17:06,400 --> 00:17:09,640 He kneels to their level. He speaks life into them. 288 00:17:10,039 --> 00:17:13,880 He reminds them they are capable. The boy who once 289 00:17:13,960 --> 00:17:17,400 tried to run from flames now walks back into hard 290 00:17:17,400 --> 00:17:22,079 places willingly. A life nearly taken by fire became a 291 00:17:22,119 --> 00:17:26,160 life committed to pulling others out of it. And when 292 00:17:26,240 --> 00:17:29,480 Jamie reflects on that day in nineteen eighty four, on 293 00:17:29,559 --> 00:17:32,680 the moment he rose from the ground and moved through 294 00:17:32,759 --> 00:17:37,240 eighteen foot flames toward the only firefighter left on scene, 295 00:17:37,279 --> 00:17:41,319 he does not offer a scientific explanation. He offers a 296 00:17:41,359 --> 00:17:44,359 testimony to anyone who is going through their own fire, 297 00:17:44,799 --> 00:17:48,640 their own depression, their own insecurity, their own pain. 298 00:17:49,559 --> 00:17:51,960 Speaker 2: God trust me with these scars, so I need to 299 00:17:52,000 --> 00:17:54,839 make them count. I was in an oven, I mean, 300 00:17:54,839 --> 00:17:57,200 I was in a twenty five hundred acre even cooking 301 00:17:57,359 --> 00:18:00,559 for almost a minute in eighteen feet flames, and just 302 00:18:00,599 --> 00:18:03,599 the miraculous miracle of me being pulled out of that is. 303 00:18:05,400 --> 00:18:08,319 Speaker 5: I just can't. I really can't grasp it at times. 304 00:18:08,759 --> 00:18:10,839 Speaker 2: I mean, I was surrounded by flames, I cried out 305 00:18:10,839 --> 00:18:12,880 to our Lord Jesus, and I got saved. 306 00:18:13,160 --> 00:18:14,680 Speaker 5: And the same thing can happen to you. 307 00:18:15,880 --> 00:18:19,279 Speaker 1: The scars Jamie carries are no longer reminders of destruction, 308 00:18:20,119 --> 00:18:23,759 their proof of redemption, and that God carried Jamie through 309 00:18:23,799 --> 00:18:27,240 fire and can carry you through it too. 310 00:18:29,799 --> 00:18:32,920 Speaker 4: So many things I love about this story. I mean, 311 00:18:33,039 --> 00:18:36,000 Jamie is now one of my heroes and what he 312 00:18:36,079 --> 00:18:39,680 experienced is just absolutely incredible. It's unexplainable. 313 00:18:40,240 --> 00:18:43,359 Speaker 1: I know, it's like whatever whoever carried him out of 314 00:18:43,359 --> 00:18:47,599 that fire, like that was divined it. I have no doubt. 315 00:18:47,720 --> 00:18:50,279 Speaker 4: Yeah, yeah, that came from God. And he said that 316 00:18:50,319 --> 00:18:52,480 there was no one else that could have carried him, 317 00:18:52,559 --> 00:18:55,440 that he didn't raise himself up, and that he was 318 00:18:55,640 --> 00:18:58,000 carried out of the fire to the fireman. 319 00:18:59,279 --> 00:19:03,440 Speaker 1: It's yeah. He actually sent us a video clip all 320 00:19:03,480 --> 00:19:05,240 the way from back in the eighties when this happened, 321 00:19:05,279 --> 00:19:08,000 he was on the news, so it's really cool to 322 00:19:08,039 --> 00:19:10,920 hear him in his perspective at that age. 323 00:19:11,839 --> 00:19:15,480 Speaker 6: Fireleel volunteer firemental around that area, including the town of Joshua, 324 00:19:15,559 --> 00:19:18,359 helped bite the blaze, but before that blaze could be 325 00:19:18,359 --> 00:19:21,680 brought under control, free firemen were injured. Thirty eight Joel 326 00:19:21,759 --> 00:19:25,000 Larry Stevens burned over ninety percent of his body later 327 00:19:25,119 --> 00:19:28,720 died at Parkland Hospital, but his sixteen year old colleague 328 00:19:28,759 --> 00:19:31,799 is making a remarkable recovery. Is the subject that the 329 00:19:31,839 --> 00:19:35,240 Knights followed a file with Phyllis Watson, Phyllis Tracy. 330 00:19:34,880 --> 00:19:37,640 Speaker 7: Young Jamie Cash and suffering burns over twenty eight percent 331 00:19:37,640 --> 00:19:39,880 of his body. Doctor said it would take at least 332 00:19:39,920 --> 00:19:42,960 six months before he was ready for any sort of therapy. 333 00:19:43,400 --> 00:19:47,400 But Jane is fooling everyone. He wanted to dance for 334 00:19:47,519 --> 00:19:50,279 our camera, but his therapists put him to work. For 335 00:19:50,359 --> 00:19:53,160 the past few months, Janie's been dancing his way through 336 00:19:53,240 --> 00:19:56,720 pain and misery. He never stopped teasing or joking with 337 00:19:56,799 --> 00:19:59,839 those around him, even though he knows how close he 338 00:19:59,839 --> 00:20:02,920 can hang to death. The fire Jamie was fighting last 339 00:20:02,960 --> 00:20:05,880 February twenty six almost took his light. You can see 340 00:20:05,880 --> 00:20:09,000 what a strap of his fire helmet blocked. Flames below 341 00:20:09,039 --> 00:20:12,920 his chin, scars mark where his boot burned through. His 342 00:20:13,079 --> 00:20:17,119 hands are charres, his nails are mangled. Most burned patients 343 00:20:17,119 --> 00:20:19,559 who've gone through what Jamie has wouldn't be ready for 344 00:20:19,599 --> 00:20:22,599 this type of therapy so soon after their injury. But 345 00:20:22,759 --> 00:20:24,559 Janie isn't an ordinary person. 346 00:20:24,799 --> 00:20:26,640 Speaker 2: Just may I just like to help one of my 347 00:20:26,720 --> 00:20:28,200 goals to go back and do it again. 348 00:20:29,119 --> 00:20:31,000 Speaker 6: No, I can't wait. I'll be laying in the hospital 349 00:20:31,039 --> 00:20:33,920 bed and doctor walked by the beeper in his start beeping. 350 00:20:33,960 --> 00:20:36,720 Speaker 7: I'd jump up, you know, on your ado. Jamie is 351 00:20:36,799 --> 00:20:39,920 ready to go. Just two months after his accident, he 352 00:20:40,000 --> 00:20:42,920 still wants to be a fireman. He admits there was 353 00:20:42,960 --> 00:20:45,079 a time lying in the burn center that he had 354 00:20:45,079 --> 00:20:48,160 his doubts, but his mother, who's confined to a wheelchair, 355 00:20:48,400 --> 00:20:51,599 would not take I can't as a reason for anything. 356 00:20:52,079 --> 00:20:53,759 Speaker 1: She's sit in that woochard the whole time I was 357 00:20:53,799 --> 00:20:54,039 in there. 358 00:20:54,079 --> 00:20:54,880 Speaker 5: You know what laid me. 359 00:20:55,519 --> 00:20:58,119 Speaker 7: His mother may be his link to strength, but Janie 360 00:20:58,119 --> 00:21:01,079 has his own philosophy about life, life and love. But 361 00:21:01,200 --> 00:21:03,240 those who may be suffering through what he has just 362 00:21:04,279 --> 00:21:05,839 he offers this bit of advice. 363 00:21:06,319 --> 00:21:09,720 Speaker 1: Oh don't quit, Just don't quit, Just keep on praying. 364 00:21:11,119 --> 00:21:13,960 Speaker 7: That's philosophy of help. Jamie keep up with his school work. 365 00:21:14,079 --> 00:21:16,440 He's a sophomore now and will pass at the end 366 00:21:16,440 --> 00:21:18,480 of the school year with klat. 367 00:21:19,160 --> 00:21:21,880 Speaker 1: Isn't that so cool to see him as like this 368 00:21:21,960 --> 00:21:24,079 young man with such a positive attitude. 369 00:21:24,200 --> 00:21:27,519 Speaker 4: Yeah, even back then, Jamie wanted to immediately get back 370 00:21:27,559 --> 00:21:30,119 out there and fight fires again and help others. 371 00:21:30,839 --> 00:21:32,960 Speaker 3: And it reminds me of that quote. If you heard 372 00:21:32,960 --> 00:21:33,559 that quote. 373 00:21:33,319 --> 00:21:36,599 Speaker 4: By mister Rogers where he said, when I was a 374 00:21:36,680 --> 00:21:39,279 boy and I would see scary things in the news, 375 00:21:39,599 --> 00:21:41,599 my mother would say to me, look for the helpers. 376 00:21:41,640 --> 00:21:45,640 He will always find people who are helping, and that's Jamie. 377 00:21:45,960 --> 00:21:50,680 Speaker 3: He is a helper. He is that truly lives to 378 00:21:50,799 --> 00:21:52,000 help and serve others. 379 00:21:52,119 --> 00:21:54,160 Speaker 1: I know, you know, it's so interesting. So we have 380 00:21:54,200 --> 00:21:56,599 another story to share about Jamie just to illustrate what 381 00:21:56,680 --> 00:21:59,640 kind of a person he is. He was in Alaska 382 00:22:00,359 --> 00:22:04,519 and he witnessed this man, this like twenty something year 383 00:22:04,519 --> 00:22:08,519 old man, robbing a cab driver. And this cab driver's 384 00:22:08,599 --> 00:22:11,599 like in his seventies, and this cab driver's like begging 385 00:22:11,640 --> 00:22:14,400 for his money back, and this big man is just 386 00:22:14,440 --> 00:22:17,839 not going to give him his money. And Jamie steps 387 00:22:17,839 --> 00:22:20,640 in and is like, hey, what are you doing. And 388 00:22:20,680 --> 00:22:24,400 he follows this big guy, probably twice his size into 389 00:22:24,400 --> 00:22:27,200 the hotel and he confronts him and he says, give 390 00:22:27,240 --> 00:22:29,680 him his money back. And this big guy like sees 391 00:22:29,799 --> 00:22:32,279 Jamie half his size and is like, yeah, you're not 392 00:22:32,319 --> 00:22:34,720 going to tell me what to do, and he goes 393 00:22:34,759 --> 00:22:39,079 and he basically attacks Jamie. But as we all know, 394 00:22:39,240 --> 00:22:43,039 Jamie's got skills, and so here's this was all actually 395 00:22:43,119 --> 00:22:45,799 caught on video. So here's a little clip of that 396 00:22:45,920 --> 00:22:50,640 moment when he is fighting off this robber. Okay, so 397 00:22:50,799 --> 00:22:58,799 Jamie continues to warn this guy to stay back, telling 398 00:22:58,839 --> 00:23:05,759 you this man is just circling around him, and he 399 00:23:05,839 --> 00:23:08,039 approaches him, gets right in his face, and then Jamie 400 00:23:08,079 --> 00:23:11,039 starts to defend himself. I mean he tried to warn 401 00:23:11,119 --> 00:23:13,519 him several times, and the guy just wouldn't stop. 402 00:23:14,839 --> 00:23:15,160 Speaker 6: At you. 403 00:23:16,200 --> 00:23:18,240 Speaker 1: So then they end up wrestling. 404 00:23:22,400 --> 00:23:23,759 Speaker 7: You're fighting through over here. 405 00:23:26,000 --> 00:23:29,680 Speaker 1: This is Eventually they end up wrestling on the ground 406 00:23:30,119 --> 00:23:39,759 and Jamie gets this guy pinned. Isn't that crazy. 407 00:23:39,920 --> 00:23:42,799 Speaker 4: Yeah, So Jamie gets this guy on the ground, and 408 00:23:42,839 --> 00:23:45,119 then other people start to get involved in this cab 409 00:23:45,200 --> 00:23:49,640 driver gets his money back. I mean, Jamie's not a 410 00:23:49,640 --> 00:23:52,960 big guy, but his karate skills are unbeatable. 411 00:23:53,000 --> 00:23:55,480 Speaker 3: As a tenth degree black belt. 412 00:23:55,200 --> 00:23:58,519 Speaker 1: In karate, I know, I wouldn't mess around with him. Yeah. 413 00:23:58,640 --> 00:24:00,799 Speaker 4: In fact, in January two thousand and fourteen, he was 414 00:24:00,880 --> 00:24:02,839 contacted on behalf of Chuck. 415 00:24:02,599 --> 00:24:04,240 Speaker 3: Norris and Gina Norris. 416 00:24:04,640 --> 00:24:07,359 Speaker 4: You see, he was interested in serving as the executive 417 00:24:07,400 --> 00:24:12,440 director for Kickstart Kids, which helps kids build character through karate. 418 00:24:13,319 --> 00:24:15,559 Speaker 1: Yeah, it's so funny. He sent us all these pictures 419 00:24:15,559 --> 00:24:17,880 with him and Chuck Norris and we're like, hey, do 420 00:24:17,960 --> 00:24:20,240 you know Chuck Norris. He's like, oh, you mean Carlos. 421 00:24:20,440 --> 00:24:23,400 I know, Carlos. We're like my good friend Carlos. Apparently 422 00:24:23,400 --> 00:24:24,079 that's Chuck Norris. 423 00:24:24,160 --> 00:24:27,240 Speaker 3: We don't call him Carlos, but yeah, that's what you mean. 424 00:24:27,839 --> 00:24:31,279 Speaker 1: We're not on first name basis apparently. But but yeah, Like, 425 00:24:31,319 --> 00:24:35,200 through this amazing opportunity with Kickstar Kids, he's been able 426 00:24:35,200 --> 00:24:37,519 to help thousands of kids and they work on building 427 00:24:37,640 --> 00:24:42,759 character and being healthy mentally physically through karate, which is 428 00:24:42,880 --> 00:24:44,279 pretty amazing. Yeah. 429 00:24:44,519 --> 00:24:48,559 Speaker 3: Yeah, and forty seven Texas schools, so very cool. 430 00:24:48,720 --> 00:24:52,960 Speaker 4: And he also received the Presidential Sports Award for Karate 431 00:24:53,079 --> 00:24:55,200 from President Bush and President Clinton. 432 00:24:55,799 --> 00:24:57,799 Speaker 3: Like this guy's live quituper light. 433 00:24:58,240 --> 00:24:59,880 Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, super impressive. 434 00:25:00,039 --> 00:25:02,559 Speaker 4: Before we end, we've got to mention somebody else, Like 435 00:25:02,680 --> 00:25:05,559 another one of my new heroes is his mother. 436 00:25:06,960 --> 00:25:09,160 Speaker 1: I know, she was so amazing. 437 00:25:09,319 --> 00:25:12,519 Speaker 4: She was awesome, and it seems like she was such 438 00:25:12,519 --> 00:25:15,400 a strong woman but also like the perfect mom to 439 00:25:15,440 --> 00:25:17,880 help him go through what he had to go through. 440 00:25:18,440 --> 00:25:21,880 Speaker 1: Yeah, her tough love was exactly what he needed. 441 00:25:21,960 --> 00:25:22,559 Speaker 5: Yeah. 442 00:25:22,799 --> 00:25:25,839 Speaker 3: Yeah, definitely helped him to become the man he is today. 443 00:25:26,319 --> 00:25:28,599 Speaker 1: Yeah. All right, well, we want to thank you guys 444 00:25:28,599 --> 00:25:31,680 for joining us today. Make sure you share this podcast 445 00:25:31,680 --> 00:25:34,359 with your family. And friends. Share anyone who you think 446 00:25:34,400 --> 00:25:37,200 could use an uplift and we'll see you guys next time. 447 00:25:37,200 --> 00:25:41,640 Speaker 3: We'll see you then. Thank you for joining us. 448 00:25:41,799 --> 00:25:44,160 Speaker 4: If you have a miracle to share, contact us at 449 00:25:44,160 --> 00:25:47,279 the Miracle files dot com or find us on social media. 450 00:25:47,680 --> 00:25:49,960 Speaker 3: We release new episodes each Monday. 451 00:25:50,279 --> 00:25:54,079 Speaker 1: Yeah, so don't forget Miracle mondays. Subscribe on your favorite 452 00:25:54,119 --> 00:25:58,200 podcast platform and YouTube for amazing video content as well. 453 00:25:58,519 --> 00:26:00,759 Speaker 4: Join us next time as we just discover more of 454 00:26:00,839 --> 00:26:03,519 God's miracles and don't forget to look for his light 455 00:26:03,680 --> 00:26:04,559 in your own lives