About four years ago, Sagar Baheti found out he had an eye condition called Stargardt disease.
Initially, he was not alarmed by the small symptoms that indicated Stargardt.
He did not think they were any reason to be concerned. For example, he could not see the letters and words on a page. They looked too small. Other times he had a hard time seeing the ball when he played cricket. This , finally, led him to doctors, in an effort to figure out what was going on. He was referred to an ophthalmologist and a retina specialist.
Baheti thought it would be something minor. However, he was devastated when he received the diagnosis. Having Stargardt disease meant his vision likely would keep deteriorating. Baheti is visually impaired but he refuses to be defined by his situation.
He used to love playing cricket but since he could no longer see much he decided to try something else. In April, he will be running the world-famous Boston Marathon. This will make him the first visually-impaired Indian to enter and be in the race. He chose running because he feels that it does not require perfect vision. Baheti states that he can still see obstructions as he is running. He is using the marathon as a way to bring awareness to Stargardt disease and the visually impaired in India.
Baheti also plans on creating a group in India that offers much-needed support for the visually impaired there. Through the Massachusetts Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired, Baheti realized the importance of such support. To thank the organization, he has a goal to raise $7,500 for it. This organization develops advanced devices to help people with serious vision impairment make daily commutes a little easier.
Click here to read his story.
