Apple : Blind veteran catches second wave with a surfboard and iPhone

As 2018 comes to an end, Leason has one month of wakeboarding and surfing until he and the Center take a break for the holidays. 'When I'm at the end of a line behind a boat just like anybody else, I forget I'm blind,' he says. 'And then when I come into the beach and there's people around Snickers and I go yeah that's my seeing eye dog and I got a board in my hand and they go, 'you're blind?' That's a cool feeling.

'The water sports are therapeutic but also I think it's more of my identity and who I am, and who I grew up to be,' he says.

Back on land, Leason enjoys a spicy lunch while reliving the day's waves. He's wiped, but he still has a two-hour workout planned for later in the day. And with Snickers by his side, he'll keep going. He'll make a fundraising push on his GoFundMe page, he'll plan out his competitions and activities for 2019. He'll continue living life on his own terms. 'I'm independent,' he says. 'That's the best way to describe the iPhone: independence.'