Despite my blindness in one eye I continued training and eventually returned to competition, qualifying for the California State track meet by the end of the season. The article below was written up, in my (then) local newspaper ("The Daily Review"), reporting my surprising comeback (I was the 14th best pole vaulter in the State that year, with one eye).
Over the course of the months that followed, my vision improved to a manageable level, and held for nearly 20 years. But then, my "manageably" poor vision began to steadily decline about 3 years ago, returning my left eye to a near state of blindness--super hazy, distorted vision.
Interestingly this was about the same time I started expanding the applications associated with my Fusion Knots and began "Tying It All Together" on YouTube. My thought at the time was, I didn't know how long my vision will last, so I needed to catalogue my ties as fast as I can, for as long as I can. This obviously influenced the pace of my video productions (and probably the design of various ties created).
In addition to the pace (and potentially designs) of my knot work being influenced by my deteriorating left-eye vision, it also strongly influenced the surrealist elements in my third novel ("Park Days"). Partially written from the perspective of a derealized, schizophrenic, homeless man named Daniel Park, his modified realities were my distorted visions (e.g. I once thought I saw a woman with monarch butterflies for a head of hair [due to my blurry, fading vision] and so this was something Daniel saw).
Back to today... This morning I had a double surgery to correct my left eye vision through the repair of my (damaged) retina and the replacement of my cataract-ed lens (doctors also found glass in my eye that had been there since the 1990 incident - yes I now have it).
All that's left to do at this point is recover...
Thanks again for all your well wishes. I can't tell you how good it feels to know people care. Especially people I admire and appreciate as much as you all.
Best to you,
JD ~ TIAT
