Dustin's Fight: Vision Loss and Job Recovery
Hi, my name is Dustin. I have spent the majority of my adult life raising four amazing kids and building a career in automotive collision repair. I lost my job recently; I was laid off because there wasn't enough work available, and things sort of went downhill from there.
A few weeks before losing my job, I was at work and had a metal shaving get in my right eye while using a grinder. I had the metal removed, but unfortunately, that wasn't the end of it. Little did I know that there was an infection growing undetected in my eye until suddenly, while driving on the freeway last weekend, within the space of a mile, my field of vision narrowed drastically on the right side, and everything turned to blurry splotches of light and color. Thankfully, my oldest daughter was able to get me to a hospital. By the time we got help, I was writhing in pain and begging for someone to help me; the pain had increased so much.
After a night of CT scans, MRI scans, and swabs for different bacteria types, it was figured out that I had developed an infection on my optical nerve, and I may not regain my sight. I have hopes that as the infection is dealt with, my eyesight will return, and if it doesn't, I know I will adapt. I will find a new career as I can no longer do collision repair, and I will find a new way to provide.
In the meantime though, while I am recovering and adapting to monocular vision, I am asking for any help that can be shared in order to provide for my kids and build the foundation for a new future where I can once again provide for my kids and for myself the way I always have. Every donation, no matter how big or small, will be greatly appreciated and will be one step closer to standing on my own two feet again as a father and as a man. Thank you.
update: the opthamologist is sending me to a cornea specialist for surgery that will help with light sensitivity and pain but I've now been told that I won't ever see more than splotches of light and color out of my right eye again.