Trevon Ferguson has experienced a lot in his life. While serving in the Army a traumatic brain injury resulted in seizures, PTSD, and depression. He was diagnosed with cancer just three months after his mother passed away, lost fingers during a work accident, and has battled rage, thoughts of suicide, and chronic pain. 

Trevon hasn’t let any of that weigh him down.

With the help of the High Fives Foundation and friends who taught him a new normal that defied the impossible, he found his purpose. It’s this purpose that Trevon has dedicated himself to – to help others overcome their own hardships.

The High Fives Foundation is a nonprofit organization that focuses on preventing life-changing injuries, as well as providing resources and hope if they happen.  

Read Trevon’s Message In His Own Words

Standing here today, having pledged myself again to God, I look behind me and see the well-worn path I chose of a life indeed lived and loved and flawed.

I smile because the reality is harsh. Had I not chosen this particular path, there's an obvious question I'd have to ask. Would I be the man I am today?

Trevon, your life's trajectories are going to change. You'll be a soldier when you get hurt, going through the motions, eager to please. In an instance, a blow to your head, who are you now?

Those words: traumatic brain injury. Please question the initial treatment you receive. I challenge you to examine and accept what happened and why. The nose bleeds, the nightmares and headaches, the change in emotional control- the anger and frustration at life's basic tasks. A kid from the Caribbean becoming a drum.

“Remember what exists within you: Purpose.”

But you can't give up now. There are more mountains to climb. Don't believe what you're told you can never do, never settle, push forward no matter how chaotic the path. Remember what exists within you: purpose.

Trevon, it will get worse before it gets better. You'll see blinding light, one; then two, everything will hurt, especially those words. You have epilepsy. It'll feel like the last straw, a final nail in your coffin, and all you'll hear is, just give up.

But you won't. Just get up.

You're still that happy kid. Your world is what you know now. Carry your light along the way and keep moving forward, you know how. A tool to ascend, preservation of you.

"What a waste it would be to throw it away into the darkness for no one to see. A life hardly lived is a life wasted indeed."

Those words: I want to die. You don't understand what's happening yet. Hold on to the faith your mother and grandmother instilled in you. Hold on to your rays of sunshine, too. Don't hammer away what holds you together. Don't destroy them. Don't destroy you.

There will be people in your life who will help you get through it, who will search with you, even when they're afraid. And you'll make new friends whose norm is defying the impossible each day. And you'll hear these words. 'Trevon, you can reduce your seizures. Trevon, you can compete. Trevon, you can live a normal, fun life. Trevon, you are an athlete.'

"Hope is the cornerstone of change."

No fear. No doubt. A new lease on life. Now every day, you will push the boundaries of what's possible. You will be a voice of hope. You will stand up for your community. You lead the charge. Because hope is the cornerstone of change, so Trevon, please, don't ever quit.

Read the Director Elly Michaels’ Take on the Film

When I first read Trevon Ferguson’s bio on the High Fives Foundation website, I was instantly taken with his story. This is someone who has experienced a multitude of life-changing events that most people won’t encounter once in their lifetime. Those events listed so openly on his page certainly caught my attention, however, what stuck with me the most in his story was the person he defines himself as today.

Trevon’s message to the world is “purpose”; so simply put for the weight it carries. He believes that everyone is here for a great and divine purpose larger than ourselves. While I cannot relate to Trevon’s specific experiences, I think everyone understands the concept of facing a hardship and the need to find a way through it. Trevon has made it his life’s work to help others overcome their own hardships and finds joy and fulfillment in sharing the tools he has picked up throughout his life. Here is where this project started feeling a bit serendipitous: coincidentally, one of the tools he had already been sharing with his community just so happens to be Charlotte’s Web! I believe this was a collaboration that was meant to be.

Meeting Trevon Ferguson and working on this project was a monumental experience for me, both as a filmmaker, and as someone who finds importance in defining my own “purpose”. I cannot thank Trevon enough for his willingness to participate in the film, and for his motivation to deliver his message to anyone who may need it. I am thankful to work for a company like Charlotte’s Web, who values their non-profit partners and provides them a platform on which to speak. My vast appreciation also goes out to the High Fives Foundation, who was beyond accommodating during the production, and for making a difference in so many lives every day. 

“Trevon has made it his life’s work to help others overcome their own hardships and finds joy and fulfillment in sharing the tools he has picked up throughout his life.”

At Charlotte’s Web, we strive to better the planet and the people living upon it. This means partnering with organizations like the High Fives Foundation and people like Trevon and Elly who do the same. In these uncertain times, Trevon’s story exemplifies what a true hero looks like when overcoming adversity.

Learn more about High Fives Foundation, volunteer, or donate: https://highfivesfoundation.org.

Disclaimer: Charlotte’s Web is providing a platform to highlight organizations dedicated to furthering our drive to better the planet and the people living upon it.

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