This biography is the story of Mike May, a man who lost his vision at age three in an accidental chemical explosion. His mother didn't baby him, and Mike spent his childhood exploring, crashing into things, and not letting his vision stop him from doing what he wanted. He rode bikes, has the world record in speed skiing, and even drove a car for a bit by himself. Nothing scared him.
Then a doctor tells him of a new procedure involving a cornea transplant and eye stem cell transplants. After thinking about it for months and reviewing the risks, he does it. And things are strange. May becomes a test subject because although his vision is good, his brain doesn't recognize what he is seeing. He sees color and motion, but can't recognize faces or depth perception. He trips on curbs and stairs and can't drive. And he has to live with this. May fights the depression that often hits other people who have vision restored, and uses his personal strengths of hearing and memorization to help his vision. It works.
This was one of those pick-me-up books, but not one I recommend for high school students. I had to force myself to finish it. The section on the technical vision/brain research was a struggle although the author's description of the eye shots almost killed me. I had LASIK surgery last year and I teared up as I read that portion of the book. Ugh. It hurts! And 1/2 a Valium at the eye doctor's didn't work for me!
No comments:
Post a Comment