Empower Brian's Dream to Inspire Others

My name is Brian Kadien. I am totally blind. I live in Greenville, South Carolina. I am a husband and a father.

Following a battle with glaucoma, I lost my eyesight in 2020 right around my 50th birthday. After undergoing two emergency surgeries that were both unsuccessful, I was declared totally blind. As you can imagine, dealing with blindness was extremely challenging. I felt completely lost and without any direction. In June 2021 I underwent another major surgery, this time to replace my left knee. After my knee surgery, I made a remarkable comeback. Embracing how well I could move, I felt I needed to face fear and challenge myself. This is where I found Jiu-Jitsu. I joined Alliance Jiu-Jitsu in Greenville three years ago, this is where I found the strength I needed to build the foundation of how I was going to live with my blindness. Currently, I have over 500 hours of Jiu-Jitsu on the mat. I have earned the opportunity to test for my purple belt which signifies a deeper understanding of the techniques and strategies of Jiu-Jitsu. This would mean so much to me. I know most people just think it’s a belt but to me it’s an accomplishment of overcoming adversity and not accepting failure. I want to show others with disabilities that they too can achieve their goals and nothing is out of reach.

With this, I ask for your financial support to help make my dream come true and to inspire others to go after their dreams. I am personally asking for your donation so I can work one on one with an instructor for the next seven months, be able to travel to Florida to work with a blind black belt and to help with my overall travel expenses.

I will be donating a portion of the proceeds to Day Before the Rainbow animal rescue as well as Greenville Alliance Jujitsu school.