When I was a kid, back in the late 1950s, the University of Washington had great teams:Rose Bowl champs in 1960 and 1961. (I grew up near Seattle; my father and grandfather were big UW fans.) The quarterback of those teams was Bob Schloredt. I've been thinking about him lately because, at least for now, we have something in common -- blindness in the left eye.
I had injections of Avastin in both eyes about a month ago. It's a standard treatment for diabetic retinopathy, especially in the case where blood vessels rupture in one eye. Somehow (and no one knows how it happened), my left eye became infected. None of the ophthalmologists here had ever had that happen before, and it never happened to my ophthalmologist in Springfield. I may regain some vision in that eye -- it isn't clear enough yet to know -- but I may not.
I'll admit I felt sorry for myself. But my right eye is okay. I can see to do things. I've been tired and not doing much (no Spanish lessons for a while; I miss them). I have been able to start work on my fall online classes; they start in three weeks.
Ray's helped me every step of the way. We've come up with a technique so I can give myself my eyedrops and I felt well enough for him to be able to go out to the property in La Paz and do some work. (Cities drive him crazy, and he's been here in Cuenca for more than a month.)
I can cope with whatever happens now, I think. Bob Schloredt led the UW Huskies to two Rose Bowl wins with one eye. He played in the Canadian Football League, was an assistant coach at UW for a while, and had a good life. He was my hero when I was 8 years old, and it's good to have his example to help me 50 years later.
Until next time, be well.
