Help The Blind Blogger "See" NYC
Donation protected
Hi, my name is Jan Moore and I'm setting up this campaign on behalf of my dear friend Max Ivey, known as The Blind Blogger. (This is Max's account so all funds go directly to Max.)
Max is a 50 year old author of two books, blogger, weight loss success story, and life coach.
Max was born into the life of a carnival family. His parents owned a small carnival. He grew up on the midways and back lots of the different towns their traveling show visited. He spent countless hours working the games, running rides, and getting stock for his mother's food concession trailer.
Max was born with perfect vision but started losing his sight when he was four. His vision gradually decreased until he was about twelve or thirteen when he had a huge drop off. He started learning how to use a white cane and how to read braille. After that his vision stabilized until he was in college when his sight deteriorated more and more until it stablized where it is now. He can perceive light and that is all.
Despite his blindness, he graduated high school and then went on to college where he got a degree in Political Science from Texas A&M, Corpus Christi.
Then it was back to the carnival to work in several of the games and rides he owned. He knew everything about any game or ride you can think of, right down to the number of nuts, bolts and pins on a Tilt-a-Whirl!
Max became an "observer" of human nature, life in middle America and adviser to all who know him.
He constantly had a kind word, a smile, and a funny antidote for anyone who stopped by his game to chat.
What most people didn't know was that Max suffered from severe depression. He turned to food for comfort. He was eating his way though life, and it was killing him. He stopped going on the road and started a website that listed carnival rides and games for sale. Designing the website, posting pictures, writing ads and brokering sales. Finally, at nearly 600 pounds, Max knew something had to change.
He met with a weight loss surgeon, jumped through all the hoops needed to get both his doctor and his insurance company to approve weight loss surgery. It was a long and hard road, but Max was successful in losing the weight. Feeling better physically and emotionally he began writing about his life and how it has changed. He started blogging, wrote a book and became an inspiration to his family, friends, and people he met on the internet. He even had the courage to become a life coach, helping others to achieve their dreams.
The amazing thing about all this is that, as I said earlier, Max is blind. He has Retinitis Pigmentosa, referred to as RP.
Max stepped out of his comfort zone to enter this year's Amtrak Writers in Residency competition and was one of 24 people chosen by Amtrak to receive round trip tickets to the destination of their choice. This includes a sleeper, food, and writing space.
What they don't provided is hotel accommodation at extended layovers or the final destination. They also don't provide any money for the fun and cultural activities people normally do when visiting an area.
Max has chosen New York City as his destination. This is the fulfillment of a lifelong dream. As always, Max plans on using this time to help others through his writing. He plans on using this trip and his time in NYC to "observe" the people around him, how they interact with him, and to write about the experience through the "eyes" of a blind person. His intention is to inspire others to step out of their comfort zone and achieve their dreams too.
There is just one problem. Money.
Although his family have helped him cover the cost of accommodation in NYC, he doesn't have the money needed to eat meals at each destination, pay cab fare or enjoy the rich culture that NYC is so famous for. Without the necessary funds he would have to ride the train from Houston to NYC, get off the train, check out the train station, get on another train and return home.
As exciting as the train ride and the opportunities that would bring might be, Max wants to stay in NYC and experience things like a Broadway Play, Times Square, The Statue of Liberty, Ice Skating at Rockefeller Plaza, Grand Central Station, Ground Zero and as many of the wonderful experiences NYC has to offer that he can fit in.
Can you imagine the courage it takes for a blind person to take on this kind of challenge? To enter the Amtrak competition is beyond most people's comfort zone even without the challenge of blindness, and to take on this challenging trip alone to one of the major cities in the world is even more admirable.
Max leaves on his trip on December 20th so we need to raise funds quickly.
Let's join together to help him make this a grand adventure and give him the richest of experiences to share in his book and maybe even a movie.
It's very difficult to come up with a definite amount needed for this kind of trip, but if the money raised is more than is needed on the trip it will go towards the publication of the book about his experiences.
Thank you for your support.
Love & blessings from Jan & Max
P.S. If you'd like to learn more about Max, The Blind Blogger go to www.theblindblogger.net and listen to my interview with Max earlier this year when he talked about this trip and his mixed feelings of fear and excitement on The Conscious Living Show .
Max is a 50 year old author of two books, blogger, weight loss success story, and life coach.
Max was born into the life of a carnival family. His parents owned a small carnival. He grew up on the midways and back lots of the different towns their traveling show visited. He spent countless hours working the games, running rides, and getting stock for his mother's food concession trailer.
Max was born with perfect vision but started losing his sight when he was four. His vision gradually decreased until he was about twelve or thirteen when he had a huge drop off. He started learning how to use a white cane and how to read braille. After that his vision stabilized until he was in college when his sight deteriorated more and more until it stablized where it is now. He can perceive light and that is all.
Despite his blindness, he graduated high school and then went on to college where he got a degree in Political Science from Texas A&M, Corpus Christi.
Then it was back to the carnival to work in several of the games and rides he owned. He knew everything about any game or ride you can think of, right down to the number of nuts, bolts and pins on a Tilt-a-Whirl!
Max became an "observer" of human nature, life in middle America and adviser to all who know him.
He constantly had a kind word, a smile, and a funny antidote for anyone who stopped by his game to chat.
What most people didn't know was that Max suffered from severe depression. He turned to food for comfort. He was eating his way though life, and it was killing him. He stopped going on the road and started a website that listed carnival rides and games for sale. Designing the website, posting pictures, writing ads and brokering sales. Finally, at nearly 600 pounds, Max knew something had to change.
He met with a weight loss surgeon, jumped through all the hoops needed to get both his doctor and his insurance company to approve weight loss surgery. It was a long and hard road, but Max was successful in losing the weight. Feeling better physically and emotionally he began writing about his life and how it has changed. He started blogging, wrote a book and became an inspiration to his family, friends, and people he met on the internet. He even had the courage to become a life coach, helping others to achieve their dreams.
The amazing thing about all this is that, as I said earlier, Max is blind. He has Retinitis Pigmentosa, referred to as RP.
Max stepped out of his comfort zone to enter this year's Amtrak Writers in Residency competition and was one of 24 people chosen by Amtrak to receive round trip tickets to the destination of their choice. This includes a sleeper, food, and writing space.
What they don't provided is hotel accommodation at extended layovers or the final destination. They also don't provide any money for the fun and cultural activities people normally do when visiting an area.
Max has chosen New York City as his destination. This is the fulfillment of a lifelong dream. As always, Max plans on using this time to help others through his writing. He plans on using this trip and his time in NYC to "observe" the people around him, how they interact with him, and to write about the experience through the "eyes" of a blind person. His intention is to inspire others to step out of their comfort zone and achieve their dreams too.
There is just one problem. Money.
Although his family have helped him cover the cost of accommodation in NYC, he doesn't have the money needed to eat meals at each destination, pay cab fare or enjoy the rich culture that NYC is so famous for. Without the necessary funds he would have to ride the train from Houston to NYC, get off the train, check out the train station, get on another train and return home.
As exciting as the train ride and the opportunities that would bring might be, Max wants to stay in NYC and experience things like a Broadway Play, Times Square, The Statue of Liberty, Ice Skating at Rockefeller Plaza, Grand Central Station, Ground Zero and as many of the wonderful experiences NYC has to offer that he can fit in.
Can you imagine the courage it takes for a blind person to take on this kind of challenge? To enter the Amtrak competition is beyond most people's comfort zone even without the challenge of blindness, and to take on this challenging trip alone to one of the major cities in the world is even more admirable.
Max leaves on his trip on December 20th so we need to raise funds quickly.
Let's join together to help him make this a grand adventure and give him the richest of experiences to share in his book and maybe even a movie.
It's very difficult to come up with a definite amount needed for this kind of trip, but if the money raised is more than is needed on the trip it will go towards the publication of the book about his experiences.
Thank you for your support.
Love & blessings from Jan & Max
P.S. If you'd like to learn more about Max, The Blind Blogger go to www.theblindblogger.net and listen to my interview with Max earlier this year when he talked about this trip and his mixed feelings of fear and excitement on The Conscious Living Show .
Organizer
Maxwell Ivey Jr.
Organizer
Conroe, TX
