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Despite Vision Loss, Nico Knows the Way
When Nico Owen was learning to talk, his first word was not “mommy” or “daddy” — it was “ball.” That’s how much the young boy loved athletics, especially tennis. “Nico could hit a tennis ball over the net from the back of the court when he was just five-years old. He had such great natural ability,” says his mom, Alexandra. It seemed that Nico was destined to follow in the footsteps of his father, Winston, who was a tennis pro and the head of notable tennis clubs in California and Florida.
After a series of visits to local ophthalmologists, a retinal specialist asked Alexandra if blindness ran in the family. Nine-year-old Nico was sitting right there. “I was in complete disbelief, because blindness doesn’t run in the family, and I was horrified that he asked the question with Nico in the room,” recalls Alexandra. “We followed up with another doctor who told us that Nico had retinitis pigmentosa, would go blind, and there was nothing that we could do. I was so despondent. After leaving the doctor’s office, I sat in the car with Nico and just sobbed.” But Alexandra says the doctor did throw her a life preserver — a brochure from the Foundation Fighting Blindness. Before she drove away, she called the number on the back of the pamphlet and reached a Foundation representative who calmed her down and reassured her that Nico would be okay. Alexandra was also given the number of one of the Foundation’s top clinical researchers, Dr. Eliot Berson, of Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Harvard Medical School. Soon after, the Owens made the trip from their home in Osprey, Florida, to see Dr. Berson in Boston. “For having a bad diagnosis and a bad disease, Dr. Berson gave us hope,” says Alexandra. “He told Nico that there would be a cure someday and that he wouldn’t go blind.” The Owens then got involved in the Tampa Bay Chapter of the Foundation and raised more than $6,000 for the 2009 Tampa Bay VisionWalk. Nico’s two older brothers, Christian and Kelton, are also very supportive. They signed up for “Leading the Way,” an outdoor adventure program established by Eric Weihenmeyer, a renowned blind climber who has scaled the world’s tallest peaks including Mt. Everest. The program pairs sighted kids with visually impaired kids for outdoor adventures. Christian and Kelton will be exploring the Grand Canyon. And while Nico is still too young to participate, his brothers are excited to learn from the experience and accompany Nico on a similar trip in a couple of years. Now 12-years old, Nico is thriving as a student at New Gate Montessori School. He enjoys chess club, acting class, waterskiing, and learning to play the guitar. Nico also recently gave a presentation to his class about vision loss and retinitis pigmentosa. His classmates even navigated an obstacle course wearing masks that simulate what it’s like to have RP. “The kids really learned about the challenges that Nico has,” says Alexandra. “It’s great how conscious they are of his situation. Now when they are going into a movie or a darkened room, someone will take his arm. He’s in a wonderful place.” “Nico is truly an inspiration to me, his dad, and his brothers,” adds Alexandra. “He has a great attitude. Despite the challenges, he won’t let vision loss get him down.” |
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