Nothing Gets in the Way of FFB’s Richard Faubion

FFB's Richard Faubion is unstoppable. He says, "I was 21 when I was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa. That explained all the trouble I had losing baseballs at my feet while playing short stop. My doctor told me that I would be blind in five years. I got a second opinion - same story. My uncle is totally blind from RP and was a great role model, because nothing stopped him. So I just decided that I wouldn't let anything stop me."

Richard is now 58 years old and has only two degrees of central vision left. He can only see things directly in front of him, and even those images are not very clear. Recently, it has become more and more challenging for him to navigate around town independently, but he happily reports, "I have just been approved for a guide dog, a wonderful black Lab named Zane, which will provide that new sense of freedom and empowerment."

Being an employee for FFB is a dream job for Richard. He became a Director of Development for the Foundation's Rocky Mountain Region in 2005. He says, "I get to motivate and inspire others to fund the research that will cure blindness." He adds, "I have a unique role with FFB handling both fundraising events like VisionWalk in Denver and Phoenix, Denver Swing for Sight, and I handle donor activities for the region."

Richard had been active with the Foundation as a volunteer since 1975, serving as President of the Milwaukee Chapter in the mid-1970s and the Houston Chapter during the mid-1980s. He recalls, "I even chauffeured Gordon Gund from the airport to a donor meeting. Boy was he lucky that I could still see pretty well then. Gordon was truly inspirational, and of course, he still is today."

Richard says that blindness is a challenge, but it's not the end of the world. "There are so many adaptive technologies that there isn't anything I can't do, except beloved sports like tennis, football and baseball, and softball," he says. "I can still play golf! I shoot about 110, but I hit the ball "out of sight."