‘I just didn’t believe it. It seemed not real.’ Danville councilman’s family grateful for recovery after attack

DANVILLE, Va. (WDBJ) - Playing a simple game of football in the yard now means everything for the Vogler family, because just a few months ago, they couldn’t.

“It was the hardest thing I’ve ever been through in my life,” said Lee Vogler, Danville Councilman. “I’ve broken bones. I’ve had concussions. None of that compares to what I felt going through that and still kind of continue to go through.”

July 30, 2025, Danville Councilman Lee Vogler was set on fire at his office, leaving him with severe burns all over his body.

Vogler spent nearly 12 weeks away in a hospital, undergoing 5 surgeries and multiple other procedures.

He says it was having his wife Blair and their two kids Ava and Kingston by his side every day that gave him strength.

“That really helped push me through. When they were keeping me updated on what was going on this football season and with dance, I wanted to get back home to be a part of those things,” added Vogler.

And in October, he was shocking the doctors and his family.

“It was like a piece of a puzzle that you couldn’t find and then you found it,” said Ava Vogler, Lee Vogler’s daughter.

“When he first got in the hospital, they were telling us spring,” said Kingston Vogler, Lee Vogler’s son. “It was just crazy that he got home when he did. I just didn’t believe it. It seemed not real.”

Another surprise to the family was how quickly he improved, even getting to participate in Ava’s daddy-daughter dance.

“Two days before the show, he got to pick me up!” said Ava Vogler.

“To be up there with her on stage, to see that huge smile on her face, to be able to lift her up and hold her at the end, that was a Christmas miracle,” said Lee Vogler.

As for what puts a smile on Kingston’s face…

“Oh, getting to beat him in basketball. It feels good to have him back. It was different when he was gone. It was like something was missing, but now it’s back, and it’s just great to have him back for Christmas,” added Kingston Vogler.

Lee still faces daily challenges and has occupational therapy multiple times a week, but the only thing standing in his way might be Kingston during a game of catch or basketball.

“I didn’t know what to expect,” said Blair Vogler, Lee Vogler’s wife. “But at the end of the day, knowing Lee and his positivity and his drive and his spirit, I wouldn’t expect anything less. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous, but when he came back, he was Lee. I’m so proud of him.”

“Some days are tougher than others, but I look at it this way. I could do one of two things. I could sit at home and mope and be sad about it every day, or I could get up and make the most of every day that I have. I choose to do that. Life is for living and I intend on living,” explained Lee Vogler.

He also plans on coaching his son’s baseball team in the spring and continuing to spend special moments with family.