Evan Mittman’s Spirit of Determination

Evan Mittman was a 19-year-old business major at the University of Miami when he was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa. It was the last thing he ever imagined would happen. “I went to the eye doctor, because I had trouble reading my test papers and seeing the blackboard,” says Evan. “They saw irregularities in my retina and sent me to retinal specialists. I was told I was going blind and there was nothing that could be done. To me, it seemed like my life was over.” Evan and Debi Mittman The news was devastating for Evan. He stopped driving, dropped out of college, and began unloading trucks to earn a living. But after six months, he reached a turning point. “I finally decided not to wallow in my tears and see what I could accomplish,” he recalls. “I went back to school and used a reel-to-reel tape recorder to capture the lectures.” In spite of his new attitude, vision loss was still a challenge, because so few people were willing to help Evan. In fact, his professors didn’t even believe he had vision problems, because he looked like he had normal eyesight. During this time, Evan continued to see different doctors, but they had no answers. “I was more of a showpiece than anything,” he laments. It wasn’t until Evan saw FFB-funded researcher Sam Jacobson, M.D., Ph.D., of the Scheie Eye Institute at the University of Pennsylvania, that he received his final diagnosis of enhanced s-cone syndrome — a condition that was potentially less severe in the long run than retinitis pigmentosa. After graduating college, Evan started up a retail accessories business, Cipriani, in New York City, which grew into a thriving, highly successful operation. Cipriani now employs more than 200 people at three locations and is one of the largest companies in the accessories industry. Evan’s parents, Max and Arlyne, began supporting the Foundation Fighting Blindness shortly after Evan was diagnosed. They became close friends of Ben Berman, a Foundation co-founder, and his wife Beverly. As Evan’s business grew, he too began helping to drive the research. Evan and his wife, Debi, recently stepped up their own support for the Foundation and chaired the inaugural 2008 Westchester-Fairfield VisionWalk. Through their leadership, the walk doubled its fundraising goal. Recently, they chaired the inaugural Westchester-Fairfield Dining in the Dark in early May. Even their five children have taken on the fight against blindness by organizing fundraisers with their friends. “We all feel very grateful to be part of this incredible organization. It’s great to be a part of the FFB family,” says Evan. “There is such great progress being made in gene therapy clinical trials and stem cell research. I am very optimistic and confident that we — everyone with a retinal disease — will win in the end.”

Back to top