Silent I exist

Religion didn't exist for Jason Burrell — that is, until he was hit by a drunk driver.  That's when he remembers seeing God and hearing God tell him it wasn't his time to die yet.

The first time I met Burrell, I sat across from him on the city bus while riding to school. He smiled at me and typed into his text communicator, "U r beautiful." I got off the city bus that day admiring this stranger's intimate and obvious appreciation of life around him. 

At the young age of 19, Burrell was modeling for Levis, Wrangler and Gucci when he was hit by a drunk driver while riding as a passenger on a motorcycle. Right before the accident, Burrell had gotten a Gucci haircut and didn't want to wear a helmet. The driver of the motorcycle, who wore a helmet, was fine after 10 minutes, but Burrell was in a coma for eight months and lost his ability to speak permanently.  His mother kept him on life support because she insisted he was forming kisses to her every night when she gave him kisses. When he woke up from his coma, he couldn't speak.

Many people think Burrell is mentally disabled because he speaks through a handheld text communicator and trembles when he walks. Because of this, Burrell says the greatest compliment anyone can give him is that he or she respects him.

He finds this respect in the fourth grade classroom with Ms. McAllister. Every week, Burrell volunteers at Lewis and Clark Elementary school to help young students learn. The kids are one of the happiest parts of his week, he says, because they see him for who he is and it satisfies him to see their faces light up when they learn something. Burrell also enjoys attending The Campus Congregational Church regularly. He chose to attend this specific church in Missoula because it openly accepts homosexuals.

Many people know Burrell in the Missoula community, and he loves to hug them all. He also jokes around with them all the time through large gestures, wide eyes, and hearty laughs.