Dear Miss Runyan:

I am so happy that I can tell you my son’s story and how you were the inspiration. I have to
confess that before my son was sick. I didn’t know who you were but after knowing the
situation I was looking for people with the same disease, I can only say that I found some hope
when I was going through the darkest situation of my life. My son was diagnosed with
Stargardt disease, this was a laborious situation for him at the time and as a father I was so
confused. I was just thinking how I could help my son with this struggle. When he was
diagnosed with this disease, his expectations and goals came crashing down. The passion he
had for being a skateboarder had left him behind because he believed that it was a disability
that wouldn’t let him be free as a normal person. He suffered for a while in accepting his
condition but looking for a way to cheer him up, I found your story, how you were able to
overcome all the obstacles that came your way, as doctors told you that it was impossible to
lead a life without being able to see but you showed everyone that having a disease isn’t an
impediment to achieving great things. This is how I told my son about you, this allowed him to
continue with his life and not feel defeated. At first he was mortified at how people would look
at him or if he couldn’t make it but the yearning for returning to his skateboard drove him. I
can tell you that seeing my son being self-reliance helped me understand more about the
diseases that exit and as you once said, “If you choose to be a victim of this or that, or what
others have done to you, or what you think is someone else’s fault, you are constantly making
excuses, the secret to achieving something is holding yourself accountable for your choices
and learn from our mistakes and move on”. Believe me those words helped a lot.

Now I can only say that I’m so proud of him in how he doesn’t give up and try to overcome
every obstacle in his life, and all thanks to the example you give, not only to my son but to
thousands of young people who have this disease.