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Displaying 1–10 of 169 stories results
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Taking the Stage for Stargardt
Beacon StoriesDiagnosed with Stargardt disease at age nine, Havah Fleisner spent years feeling isolated by her vision loss before discovering confidence through pageantry and advocacy. Now, as Miss Northern Lights Teen 2026, she’s using her platform to create community, raise awareness, and inspire others living with blinding diseases.
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More Than What You See: Navigating Vision Loss and Mental Health
Beacon Stories WellnessAt 25, Austin experienced sudden vision changes that led to a diagnosis of Usher syndrome type 2A, reshaping how he moved through the world and how he saw his future. The emotional impact of this vision loss affected his mental health, leading to isolation before he began to openly process his experience and seek connection. Today, he uses his journey to inspire Rare Perspective Co., creating space for more open conversations and understanding around vision loss.
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Seen at Last: How Love Is Blind Gave Madison a Platform for RP
Beacon StoriesFrom reality TV to real-world impact, Madison Maidenberg turned her Love Is Blind spotlight into a platform for blinding diseases. As a contestant living with retinitis pigmentosa, she’s challenging misconceptions about blindness and becoming a powerful voice for the blind and low vision community.
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A Legacy of Strength, Adaptability, and Generosity: Richard and Elizabeth Kamis
Beacon StoriesRichard and Elizabeth built a life rooted in resilience, service, and generosity, with Richard’s experience living with retinitis pigmentosa shaping their shared purpose. From breaking barriers in education to helping others, their impact continues to help advance research for generations to come.
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From Hiding to Helping: How Cory Turned Vision Loss Into a Life With No Limits
Beacon StoriesAfter years of hiding his vision loss, Cory Rainford now uses his voice to help others navigate life with choroideremia. As his blinding disease progressed, he worked hard to keep it invisible, even leaving his dream job. Today, through his YouTube channel Legally Blind No Limits, Cory shares honest, humorous videos about adapting and finding community, showing others that life with vision loss can still be full of possibilities.
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Hope Is Right Around the Corner
Beacon StoriesRosana was diagnosed with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) at 43, which would eventually cost her a pilot’s license, a driver’s license, and the independence she had always defined herself by. Rather than retreat, she adapted, moving closer to the beach, riding tandem bikes, and finding community through the Foundation Fighting Blindness. Today, she channels her experience with AMD into advocacy, driven by the belief that hope—and continued progress toward treatments and cures—are very much within reach.
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Seeing Science Through a Cellular Lens
Beacon StoriesOn International Day of Women and Girls in Science, meet Jillian Pearring, PhD, a Foundation Fighting Blindness–funded researcher whose work on photoreceptors and retinitis pigmentosa is helping advance treatments and cures for blinding diseases.
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Story Update: Seeing Through Your Disability
Beacon StoriesLance Johnson shares life with retinitis pigmentosa (RP) as a creator, father, and Foundation Fighting Blindness ambassador—advocating for awareness and advancing treatments and cures.
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Beacon Stories
Runner, storyteller, and community builder — Eavan O’Neill turned her Stargardt disease diagnosis into a mission to connect and uplift others through her own lived experiences. Through Brightside, she’s redefining what it means to live boldly and authentically with vision loss.
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My Journey with Retinitis Pigmentosa and the Foundation Fighting Blindness
Beacon StoriesZach was diagnosed with Bardet-Biedl syndrome (BBS) through genetic testing from the Foundation’s My Retina Tracker® Program. Today, he is looking ahead with purpose — supporting research through the Foundation, planning for his future, and encouraging others to do the same.
