Legally Blind for 44 Years, a Canadian Man Has Sight Restored and Buys a Corvette

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Legally Blind for 44 Years, a Canadian Man Has Sight Restored and Buys a Corvette


Seeing, quite literally, is believing for a Canadian man named Mike Schickerowski.

At age 44, he got his driver’s license just two weeks ago.

Why the delay?

Schickerowski was born with a disorder called nystagmus, which causes the brain to see images as a blur.

“My brain would never interpret the image as a steady picture,” he explained. “It basically involves involuntary movement of your eyes. If you’ve ever taken a photo with your camera and moved it slightly or the object moved and it’s a blur, it’s the exact same symptoms.”

That means Schikerowski has been legally blind his entire life, that is, until undergoing successful experimental surgery to correct the condition in California in October 2018.

He says being able to see has changed his life in many ways, most notably allowing him to take part in the simple things of life.

“I took my son fishing last week,” he said. “I was never able to do that before on my own. I took my daughter for ice cream. It’s unbelievable.”

Of course, those trips are made even more special because Schickerowski decided to splurge on his first vehicle ever – a yellow C7 Corvette Grand Sport. So confident he would pass the driver’s license exam for the first time, he purchased the flashy sports care before he even passed the test! “it was overwhelming to think I was doing it at that age,” he said, “but I did pretty well and I just couldn’t believe it.”

While some people thought he should have bought a more practical vehicle, especially living in the province of Alberta, Schickerowski says he wanted to stand out.

“Some people said, ‘Oh, it’s Alberta, you need a truck,’ and sure I like trucks — they’re nice — but everybody’s got a truck,” he said.

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Schickerowski is grateful that he is able to drive the Corvette on his own, but he was even more excited about being able to see the world clearly for the first time after the surgery was a success.

“It was beautiful to see,” he said, “but it was more the realization of what I missed my whole life. It was emotional breakdown. My mom was bawling, and my wife was ecstatic. It was never supposed to happen.”

While he says there was a “sad moment” realizing how much of his life had already gone by and “how much I had suffered,” he says he’s “still excited for the future.”

His wife, Angie, says watching Mike see things in 3D for the first time was “unbelievable – things like fireworks, there’s all these things.”

“I’ve lived a wonderful life and enjoyed every moment,” he says. “This is just the awakening to possibilities of the future and the opportunities that are there.”

Add his yellow Corvette to that list of expanding opportunities, and here’s hoping he enjoys his car for years to come.


Thanks to Bob S. for the link!


Source:
globalnews.ca

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5 COMMENTS

  1. Congrats on your recovery, enjoy the miracle of clear vision!!! Thankfully you found the help you needed in Ca. I have heard horror stories about the long waits and poor health care when I was working for Pratt in Canada.

  2. Congrats Mike, happy for you buddy. Love the choice, of Grand Sport, that’s what I drive! Every outing is a special trip.

  3. Hi Charlie/All,

    Thank you for the kind words!

    The experimental operation is called MWR (Myectomy Without Reattachment), it was performed at The Gavin Herbert Eye Institute in Irvine California by Dr. Robert Lingua as part of a 10 patient research study.

    Mike

  4. Hi Mike and thanks for stopping by. Found your story to be very inspirational and we can also appreciate your taste in cars! Congratulations and keep waving! – Keith

Comments are closed.