He works with guide dogs to assist and bring hope to wounded veterans.
On Aug. 22, 2004, St. Petersburg native Michael Jernigan was a Marine corporal on patrol in Mahmudiyah, Iraq, when a roadside bomb launched him 65 feet from his Humvee.
Jernigan’s forehead was crushed and both his eyes were destroyed. Over the next year, he had more than 30 major surgeries, flat lining during three of them.
“I was lost. I thought my life was over, I really did,” he said.
Jernigan spent 16 months in hospitals and rehabilitation facilities before he was medically retired from the Marine Corps on Dec. 29, 2005.
It was during a time that he now calls the loneliest stretch of his life that Jernigan got an introduction to Southeastern Guide Dogs, a nonprofit organization in Palmetto that trains dogs for visually impaired people and veterans.
Jernigan helped found Paws for Patriots, a program at Southeastern that supports veterans who suffer from vision loss, post-traumatic stress disorder and other combat-related injuries. And he met Brittani, a Labrador and golden retriever mix who helped guide him through USF St. Petersburg and into a job as community outreach coordinator for Southeastern.
Jernigan said he spent some time with Brittani before the two were paired during training. On the second day of class, March 28, 2007, the two were left alone for about 30 minutes to get acquainted. She licked his face enthusiastically, he said.
Brittani gave Jernigan the confidence to return to college. He made it to Georgetown University in the fall of 2007 after attending community college in Virginia, where he first learned how to navigate as a blind student.
After graduating from USFSP in 2012, Jernigan stands with his family and former guide dog Brittani in her specially-made gown.
After a year at Georgetown, he returned to his hometown and transferred to USFSP. He appreciated that the state university had brail outside the classrooms DO WE MEAN OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM DOORS? and offered help through its student disability services department. When he graduated in 2012 with a bachelor’s in history, the university custom-made a gown for Brittani.
Brittani is retired now, but his new guide dog – Treasure – helps make his continuing success possible.
As community outreach specialist at Southeastern Guide Dogs, Jernigan, 36, meets with organizations and corporations, primarily in the Tampa Bay area. He shares his story, enjoys one-on-one opportunities to answer questions from sponsors and donors, and thanks them for keeping the nonprofit organization going.
The guide dog school is one of 15 in the country that raise the best tail-wagging heroes for people in need.
Southeastern is home to dogs that are bred and trained to work as a team with visually impaired people to facilitate mobility and independence. The students participate in a 26-day program on the 35-acre campus. Then the training goes off-campus and includes real life situations that help students learn to trust their service dogs in day-to-day living.
“It’s amazing what a little puppy love can do,” Jernigan said.
According to Jacqui Garvey, the puppy kennel manager at Southeastern, a puppy selected for the program is kept there for about seven weeks. Then an individual or family – known as puppy raisers – takes care of the pup for 14 to 20 months. Once they are trained, the dogs are matched with visually impaired people who best suit their personalities.
Jernigan has a new mission – to help save lives and have a positive impact on his community. He has a motivational speaking business and is writing a book.
The veteran has written 14 blogs for the New York Times website, and one was featured in the opinion section of the newspaper. He hopes his book will help readers learn how to develop personal direction in life, just as he has.
“I’ve been given a second chance,” Jernigan said. “I don’t want to waste it.”
