Our dear friend, Jose (Tony) Martinez, is a caring, generous soul known for being full of life, energetic, extroverted, and fun. He is a friend to everyone he meets and someone that can be counted on during difficult times.

In January, Tony experienced an ischemic optic event (an eye stroke) and lost almost all of his vision in both eyes. His diagnosis was given after spending weeks in the hospital, doing countless tests, and ruling out a series of other possibilities. He's being treated by experts at Bascom Palmer, one of the nation's top hospitals specializing in eye care.

While not completely blind, his vision is blurred, dark, and seriously compromised by poor peripheral vision, blind spots, and an inability to see colors. Aside from this being a rare diagnosis, it's also uncommon to have it occur in both eyes at the same time -- the doctor at Bascom said he'd only seen 4 or 5 such cases in his decades of practice.

Tony can no longer drive, watch television, see a Broadway play, appreciate a painting or photograph, or be moved by the beauty of a sunrise or sunset. He has lost his ability to get around freely and safely on his own.

His world has been turned upside down and made much smaller by this limitation.

Unfortunately, there is no treatment for his condition, and he will not regain his eyesight. Tony's only option is to make an unimaginably difficult transition and learn how to live his life and navigate the world as someone with severe visual impairment. With no treatment options available, he can no longer perform his job or daily logistics as a seeing person would.

As many of you know, Tony has over 25 years of experience working as an educator and trainer at non-profit organizations focused on helping various communities in need. He has begun exploring assistive technologies and various forms of logistical support to make this transition a little easier and allow him to continue doing the work he loves doing and does so well.

With everything that Tony has going on, the last thing he should have to worry about is a mounting pile of medical bills and being able to afford assistive technologies.

I'm sure many of you want to help and may not be sure what you can do. If so, please consider making a donation to help support Tony as he makes this extremely difficult transition.

Any donation amount makes a difference! Please share with anyone you know who may also be interested in offering support.

Thanks in advance for your help!

Michael & Elizabeth