MY STORY
We were first on rope drop access to the back bowls of Snowbird. It was something I had always dreamed of. Riding in untouched, deep, fluffy powder for hours. With zero hiking. It was the last day of the trip, February 28, 2021, and also our last run of the day. Moments filled with feelings of floating on the snow came to an instant halt... I was in a snowboarding accident.
The shock started to set in. I was nauseous, freezing, and unable to see out of either eye. I sat there quietly while my friend raced off to find ski patrol. I waited for what felt like hours, but in reality, it was only several minutes.
After two surgeries and 30+ stitches in my right eye, the hole was deep enough they couldn’t stitch the back of the eye. Multiple doctors said that I would likely be blind in my right eye. I witness miracles every day in sobriety and I was hoping my eye would be another one. On the day of the accident, I was also celebrating 10 months sober and that alone is a miracle. But my eye wasn’t one, it was really gone and it would forever be a topic of conversation.
There is pain, discomfort, and new insecurities. A battle between gratitude and resentment. A balance of strength and fear. I never thought losing something on my body (that I used to take for granted) would make me see my whole world so differently.
In April I took my 1-year sobriety chip. I continue to work a program of recovery to this day. I discovered every part of myself - why I am the way I am and do the things I do. I began to understand the depth of my character defects, how to appropriately express myself, mature communication, and how to show up as my most authentic self. I slowly but surely started to recognize the small blessings this traumatic experience brought me. How it might even possibly be a miracle in disguise.
On August 11th, 2021 I started my “EYE” account on Instagram. The purpose is to share stories of amazing individuals who have been impacted by visual impairment. It transformed from a single account to a community now known as “EYEHESIVE” and a brand that sells high-performance adhesive eye patches.
As a person who is always on the go, I started to understand the need for a stylish eye patch that caters to all lifestyles and fits all sizes. That was how EYEHESIVE patches were born.