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A remembrance of ruminants, a life transformed.
On April 6, 2000, is when the life change occurred. Born with an eye condition called Retinopathy of Prematurity, the onset of
a sudden right retinal detachment and related complications led down the path of near blindness. Beginning at the age of 17, I was pulled from my junior year of high school into homebound schooling. The initial
detachment resulted in another failed reattachment on June 14, 2000. Fortunate enough to return to high school for Senior year seemed to mark the passage of troubled times. However, the first left retinal detachment
occurred in early April 2001, leaving me completely blind for a month and a half. While recovering from this procedure, graduation had come only two weeks before the second left retinal detachment on June 13, 2001.
As a last solution, silicon oil was implanted to stabilize the retina and serve as an insulator. The situation lay dormant for almost three years until increasing pressure determined it necessary to remove the
silicon oil. On March 17, 2004, a preemptive operation to "tack down" high-risk areas of retina was followed by the oil removal on April 28, 2004. Through an extensive regiment of medications with mixed
results, a glaucoma laser procedure was done on July 22, 2004.
Three years forward, the internal eye pressure complications have subsided. Unfortunately, this stability came at the cost of further
vision. In obtaining a guide dog from Guiding Eyes for the Blind in June 2005, current long-term stability is built upon both preparation and the walk of faith.
For more information about Gradients of Sight: "You Are the Guest" Interview with Bill Grady. (Show No. 36)
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