Did Travis Freeman marry Ashley? The real story behind 23 Blast
Sports drama 23 Blast (2014) narrates the touching story of a teen who loses his vision but continues to play football. The biopic’s ending suggested that Travis Freeman and Ashley would continue to date. In real life, Travis does not marry Ashley.
Source: Twitter
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Key takeaways
- The movie 23 Blast is a biopic about Travis Freeman, a teenage football player from Kentucky.
- At 12 years old, he went from perfect 20/20 vision to total blindness after getting an infection.
- Today, Travis resides in Kentucky with his family: his wife, Steph, and their daughter, Lillian.
Travis Freeman’s profile summary
| Full name | Dr. Travis Freeman |
| Place of birth | Corbin, Kentucky, US |
| Current residence | Corbin, Kentucky, US |
| Nationality | American |
| Marital status | Married |
| Wife | Stephanie Freeman |
| Children | Lillian Pearl |
| Education | University of Kentucky (BBA)Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (Masters & PhD in Divinity) |
| Profession | Adjunct Professor, motivational speaker |
| Social media | FacebookX (Twitter) |
Did Travis Freeman marry Ashley?
The love between Travis Freeman (played by Mark Hapka) and his love interest, Ashley (portrayed by Alexa Vega), was fictional, and they did not get married in real life. 23 Blast writers created the character to depict people who supported him.
The sports drama focuses on the protagonist's high school years. Travis Freeman and Ashley are classmates and childhood friends who develop feelings for each other as Ashley helps him adjust to his new life of blindness.
Source: Original
What happened to Travis Freeman's friend Ashley?
Ashley from 23 Blast is not a real-life person and nothing happens to her beyond the film. However, Jerry Baker (played by Bram Hoover) was Travis’ childhood friend in real life.
Jerry helped him get through the first year of his illness. The friends drifted apart in high school when he became addicted to substances. Unfortunately, Jerry later passed away after a roofing accident left him paralysed.
Who is Travis Freeman's wife?
Travis married Stephanie Freeman. She previously worked as an Administrative Assistant in Alumni Services at the University of the Cumberlands (UC) in Williamsburg, Kentucky.
The couple met in 2014 during Homecoming Weekend at UC. They tied the knot in July 2015 at Gatliff Chapel.
Stephanie and Travis welcomed a daughter called Lillian Pearl in January 2019. The family of three lives in Corbin, Kentucky, where his wife opened a bakery called Stephanie’s Pastries, according to her Facebook bio.
Source: Facebook
What happened to Travis Freeman?
Real-life Travis Freeman was born and raised in Corbin, Kentucky. His childhood dream was to play football for the Corbin Redhounds. When he was in seventh grade, he started getting migraines that lasted nine days.
His parents took him to different doctors who said the headache would disappear. Freeman’s left eye began to swell, but an eye doctor found no injury and asked him to put ice on it.
When the eye swelling worsened, the physician found an infection after examining behind the eye. Travis was rushed to the University of Kentucky Hospital, where he was diagnosed with a rare and deadly form of sinus infection called Cavernous Sinus Thrombosis.
Almost 70% of people infected with Cavernous Sinus Thrombosis die, and 30% get minimal brain activity. At the time of his diagnosis, Travis was the second infected person whose infection only affected the eye. The surgery saved his life, but he lost his eyesight.
Source: Getty Images
Travis Freeman continued to play football
Before going blind, Travis Freeman was an active player in a local Kentucky football team. He played offensive lineman tackle. When he returned to the field in August 1994 as an 8th grader, he remained a lineman but moved to centre position.
In his October 2014 interview with Michael D. McClellan of Fifteen Minutes With, Travis revealed that his parents approached Coach Farris (portrayed by Stephen Lang) to help him fulfil his football dreams. The coach made it happen.
He told (my parents) that I would be the centre, that the team would help me to and from the huddle, and that they would line me up over the ball. And then, once the ball was snapped, I would make contact with my opponent, and it would be just like anyone else blocking until the play was over.
The team won the conference championship that year. Freeman continued to play football throughout high school.
Source: Facebook
Travis Freeman’s faith kept him hopeful
Freeman was raised in a Christian-leaning family and had dedicated his life to Christ a year before the sickness. He told Michael D. McClellan in their interview that he never lost his faith.
I never questioned why this had happened to me, and never questioned God why He had done this to me. I just embraced the fact that God is good, God is in control, and God has my best interests. I would not be where I am today without faith.
Travis’ readjustment in life was not hard because he had a supportive team, both at home and in school. He told Fox News in 2015 that he was enjoying the experience.
I don't know if I would want to get my sight back right now – I know that I would not trade the experiences I've had over the past 21 years for all the sight in the world.
What is Travis Freeman doing today?
Freeman is an Adjunct Professor at the University of the Cumberlands, according to his Facebook profile. He is also a motivational speaker and the CEO of The Freeman Foundation, an NPO for promoting awareness about the potential of people living with disabilities.
Travis graduated from the University of Kentucky with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. He later earned his Master of Divinity and PhD from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.
Source: Facebook
Travis Freeman did not marry Ashley in real life, but their story resonates with many. 23 Blast dropped on Netflix (US) in 2024, and his memoir, Lights Out: Living in a Sightless World (2014), is available on Amazon.
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