<div>Less than 10 years after beginning my medical career as an emergency physician and dual internal medicine doctor, in August 2025, I suffered a massive heart attack at the age of 40, which resulted in permanent blindness. During the MI, I continued to code multiple times while doctors worked to place stents, leading to over an hour of both manual and Lucas device CPR. This is when they believe the injury to my optic nerves occurred. I then spent a month in the cardiac ICU, where my friends and family faced the uncertainty of whether I would survive or retain brain function. I had a massive bleed, compartment syndrome and required bedside surgery while on ECMO, and the doctors gave my loved ones only a 5% chance of survival, with even slimmer odds of avoiding severe brain damage.
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<div>Incredibly, I woke up with my brain protected except for the loss of vision in both eyes. This means I can continue being a physician, just in a different capacity. Before this life-changing event, I dedicated my career to helping others in their moments of need as an emergency medicine physician. I live by myself in Denver and have completed the Neurological Rehab at Craig to regain my strength and heal from the multiple surgeries while in the ICU. I am staying with family while I learn to walk with my cane and care for myself but my goal is to return home and to my career I love and worked over 12 years to attain while just recently paying off my med school loans.
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<div>Now, I am facing a new challenge—learning to navigate the world without sight and finding ways to continue doing what I love.
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<div>To regain my independence and adjust to this new reality, I was scheduled to start at the Center for the Blind in Denver. This program is essential for teaching me the skills I need to live independently and eventually qualify for a seeing-eye dog. Unfortunately, the school recently lost its funding, and I am now required to pay out-of-pocket to attend the six-month program. The gap in the needed funding and my current income has created a need for me to ask for support.
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<div>The cost is significant, and covers both tuition and room and board while I am there.
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<div>here is a link to the school: <a href="https://cocenter.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><a href="https://cocenter.org/" target="_blank" class="" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">https://cocenter.org/</a></a>
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<div>Your support will make a direct impact on my ability to attend this program and rebuild my life. Any contribution, no matter the size, will help me take the next steps toward independence and allow me to continue serving others as a physician. Thank you for being part of my journey and for helping me find hope in this new chapter.
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<div>Update 3/9/26:
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<div>Thank you to everyone who has donated so far!  l am doing well as I'm adapting to life at home.
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<div>For all who want to continue to help through donations and initially help with further orientation and mobility and adaptive technology and training, your help is greatly appreciated. 
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<div>I will be starting training at Colorado Center for the Blind on 4/15/26.
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<div>Donations will help keep me more financially stable until I complete my training toward the end of the year.
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<div>Anything that exceeds this further level of support will be donated to the National Foundation for the Blind.
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<div>Thank you again for all or your support.
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Help William Attend School for the Blind

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