My name is Jordan. When I began school at age five, my vision was perfect, 20/20, with no signs of any issues.
I loved school, learning, and participating in anything I was assigned at school. At the end of first grade (now age six), I began getting headaches very often. My vision had not noticeably changed, but my parents were concerned it could be the cause of the recurring headaches.
During summer break I was taken to the eye doctor. He prescribed me with glasses to wear daily. Those glasses seemed to take me through the second grade. My teacher told me I was the fastest reader in her class. My vision was no longer a concern.
When I began third grade, now age eight, I struggled to see what my teacher was writing on the chalkboard.
At first, I tried to do my best. Then I told my teacher I was struggling. She quickly moved me closer to the chalkboard; however, I still was not able to read the detailed print she displayed. I informed her again, and she moved me to an even closer seat. While this did help some, there were still portions I could not see.
My teacher spoke with my mom about the situation and voiced her concerns. My mom promptly took me to the Clay Rhynes Eye Clinic in Durant OK, where we lived at the time. Dr. Jason Rhynes examined my eyes extensively. Something he was noticing was when I was asked to recite the letters on the vision screening chart in front of me, I was seeing only the letters on the outside of the lines and skipping over the letters that lie in the middle.
Dr. Rhynes referred me to the Retina Specialist Dr. Forest Lawrance in Oklahoma City. My mom and I went soon after, where I was examined at even greater lengths. After a comprehensive exam and evaluation, I was diagnosed with Stargardt’s Eye Disease. We were told I would lose and had begun losing my central vision. I would likely become legally blind, be very sensitive to changes in lighting, and even lose a little bit of color vision. Just one year later, all of those predictions were my new reality.
I am now twenty-nine years old. I graduated high school with honors and a nearly perfect GPA. I ran track, was a varsity cheerleader, and a varsity football manager. I earned a certification as a personal fitness trainer. I have been happily married to my high school sweetheart for over eleven years. We have four amazing children. God has shown me that blindness does not have to slow anyone down. It can be used for a purpose, leading to the most rewarding achievements.
My husband, Aaron, and I have opened our own plumbing business. I am a legally blind woman who can’t drive, read the fine print, or see some of life’s most important details. A BUSINESS OWNER! Who would have ever imagined that could be possible?
Our company wants to give back to our community. When looking for an organization to donate to, we naturally leaned toward a foundation that helped low-vision individuals. I fully accredit the level of normalcy I was able to live my childhood with to the fact that I was diagnosed at such a young age. I was able to adapt, and vision loss did not slow me down for a second. When we found Vizavance and learned they offer vision screenings at no cost for children, we knew we needed to support this organization!
We are so pleased to present Vizavance with the $25 per service call we receive in October in honor of National Blindness Awareness Month. Our company is Crap Happens Plumbing. Let’s face it. This is life. Crap does happen, but we can always trust that God will work it all out for our good. Whether it be plumbing or blindness, we can always find a positive spin to put on it. Give us a call for all your residential plumbing needs. Let’s raise money to help catch low vision early in childhood so blindness doesn’t slow any little one down!
Please call us today on 405-695-0319 to book for all your plumbing needs. Please be sure to quote ‘Vizavance‘
