STUART, Fla. (CBS12) \u2014 This week\u2019s \u2018Hometown Hero\u2019 is celebrating a major milestone while also raising awareness for a cause close to his heart.<\/p>\n
It started as a personal fitness challenge for Jason Shipley \u2013 run a 5K every day for one year, but now, almost three years later, it\u2019s become something much more.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was able to start just getting into the rhythm, and it became a part of my identity,\u201d Jason admits. \u201cI started to say, I am a runner, and I started to identify, like, this is who I am, this is what I\u2019m going to do.\u201d<\/p>\n
But the journey hasn\u2019t been easy.<\/p>\n
Along the way, unimaginable tragedy struck Jason\u2019s family.<\/p>\n
On May 13, 2024, his 3-year-old daughter died in an accidental drowning in their backyard pool.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe was the light of my world. She was daddy’s girl, and that was obviously the worst day of my life, horrible,\u201d he recalls. \u201cIt was just 20 seconds of not paying attention, like it can happen so fast, and she had her puddle jumper on, she just slipped out. So, you know, you just assume, if it’s sold in the store, it’s safe, but those are not safe because they’re not a safety device, right? So, it’s about being hyper vigilant, being hyper aware, and there is no amount of time that you cannot be paying attention.\u201d<\/p>\n
After that day, Jason found a new purpose in his daily runs.<\/p>\n