WEBVTT

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- [Lee] The son of a safety officer with the U.S. Army

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Corps of Engineers National District recently took

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viewers on an in-depth journey into his life, medical

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condition, and wish to inspire other young athletes

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to never give up, on ESPN's Make a Wish series.

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The celebrated running back at Mount Juliet High School

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produced and starred in the segment after a

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life-threatening pulmonary condition forced him to stop

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playing football.

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It was his wish to share his story and message

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^with other young athletes.

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^- Just don't give up, just keep pushing and fighting,

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^and God has a plan.

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^It might not be the dream you always wanted, but it's

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^still going to be where you need to be.

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- [Lee] His father maintains and operates a Corps of

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Engineers emergency command and control vehicle, and said

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his coworkers and leadership supported his family throughout

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the ordeal, making it easier to focus on supporting his son.

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^- My office and everyone around me has been supportive.

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^Whatever I needed to do, "James, what can we do?"

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And that has meant a lot.

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"Don't worry about this, James."

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"Don't worry about that, we got you covered."

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- [Lee] The Golden Bears' coach said Jalan was a big hitter,

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a threat to score on any play.

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But even with his medical condition, he remains

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an integral part of the team and is winning

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in the game of life.

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- Through the whole process, it never seemed to be about,

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^even though it was about his story, it seemed to be

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^about everybody that had impacted him, or that had

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^helped him along through the sickness, but also

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through the dream of becoming a coach, or producing his

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own show, and those kind of things.

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It was about that, and he's the one that made it about that.

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He had the opportunity to make it about probably a hundred

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other things, and a lot of teenagers, that maybe what

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goes through their mind, but not Jalan.

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And that's what I think was so neat about the whole thing.

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- [Lee] Standing on the field where he once collapsed,

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the 16-year old running back said he was lost, and had to

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come to grips with the fact that he would never

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play football again.

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- They always told me it was a better purpose for me,

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that God had a better purpose for me, and life is more

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important than playing a sport.

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And I've realized that.

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- This is Lee Roberts reporting for the National District

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at Mt. Juliet High School in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee.