Random Acts of Blindness

Upon arriving in Mexico later that Tuesday, he noticed some black spots floating in front of his right eye, obscuring his vision. There were also tiny flashes of lights, like when you close your eyes really tight and then open them. Thinking he was just tired from the long flights, a layover, and getting through customs, he shrugged it off. It was just exciting to be in a beautiful and picturesque city in Mexico with several of his coworkers for the week. They had the rest of the day to relax at their elegant hotel, sample lots of Mexican beer and find a good place to eat dinner.

The following morning the guys decided to squeeze in some sightseeing with a quick tour of the beautiful countryside, prior to the scheduled business meeting mid-afternoon. They did make it back in time for the meeting, but just barely! Although the meeting was progressing nicely, Dale was having difficulty focusing on the outline which he'd printed out before he left. He didn't really need to refer to it, so he just winged it and continued on... business as usual. Another balmy evening was spent hanging out with the guys, sampling more Mexican beer and enjoying the 75 degree weather on the hotel balcony.

On Thursday morning, check-out was early so they could drive to the airport, get through customs and catch their flight back home. As the plane took off and made its ascent into the sky, the passengers began doing what we all do on long flights... watch the movie, pull out the laptop, settle into a good book. Dale chose the later. Much to his chagrin, words on the printed page were not only blurry, but wavy and dark as well. Rubbing his eyes and trying to refocus only exacerbated the problem. The flight was going smoothly, but the anxiety he was feeling was mounting by the minute. By mid-flight a black veil started to drop from the outside of his eye. Dale was alone with his thoughts and could no longer ignore what he feared was happening. Not knowing what to do, he closed his eyes and forced the disturbing thoughts back down. A nap was all that was in order.

As the flight neared its destination, the pilot announced the estimated time of arrival. Dale heard the standard announcement over the speakers, "Please pull your seat forward, fasten your seat belt and prepare for a safe landing." As he opened his eyes he was pleasantly surprised to see the overhead lights had been turned on. But as he slowly closed his left eye, the realization was brutal.

In less than three days my sweet husband, my best friend, my favorite photographer, had lost all vision in his right eye. He had randomly gone blind. At that moment, his world was total darkness.