In Denver 10 months ago, a man named Ben Varga had just gotten dropped off at Washington Park to meet friends for a picnic. Not far away, two men were on a bench arguing. Police say one of them -- Ryan Egleston -- pulled a gun and fired.

Ben Varga CBS

Moments later, Varga was randomly shot. He had nothing to do with the conflict, but a bullet hit him in the back of his neck and traveled through his jaw. In addition to fracturing two of his vertebrae and breaking his jaw in several places, it knocked out some of his teeth.

Three days later he woke up in the ICU initially unable to talk.

Since then, Ben has worked hard for his recovery . He's been through more than eight surgeries, and he went through a long stretch where he couldn't eat solid food.

It was his 24th birthday on We

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