A fundraising event in Turner Valley is looking shed light on a medical condition by putting people in the dark.
Last year 28-year-old Evan Reichert of High River was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa (RP), which is progressively robbing him of his sight. In an effort to raise awareness about Reichert’s disease and other similar ailments his wife Kim is coordinating Dinner in the Dark at Flare ‘n’ Derrick Community Hall in Turner Valley on Sept. 10. The event will raise funds for the sight saving research for the Foundation Fighting Blindness and hopefully build awareness of ailments like RP.
The catch, as the name of the event explains, is this dinner we’ll be eaten in the dark so attendees can get a taste of what it is like to live without eyesight.
Currently, Reichert still has enough vision to maintain his job as a crane operator and is able to read to his six-year-old daughter and three-year-old son. However, what’s been happening to him, as someone afflicted with RP, is his peripheral vision has been increasingly diminished.
“It’s so slow and so gradual,” Evan explained of his sight loss. “It changes so little from year to year you can’t even really tell what’s going on.”
Reichert said he’s become so accustomed to living with his diminished vision he needs testing to let him know what’s going on because he really doesn’t notice it himself.
Looking back to her husband’s 2010 diagnosis Kim explained it was a shock.
“It was very tough on both of us,” she said. “We hadn’t actually heard of retinitis pigmentosa until he was diagnosed with it. When the eye doctor said he thought he had it Evan came home and told me. We looked it up on Google and what we found said you can lose your vision with it. We were both completely devastated.”
RP is not the only sight impairment Reichert has had to deal with. He’s also had cataracts, which cause a clouding of the crystalline lens of the eye. It’s something often affecting people much older than Reichert.
“He’s had two cataract surgeries,” Kim said. “He’s 28 so he’s always the youngest guy in the waiting room. ‘What are you in here for?’ all the older guys would say to him.”
It seems like Reichert’s most recent trip for a vision correction procedure has been worth the awkward inquiries from waiting room patrons.
“The cataract surgery he had in February has helped immensely,” Kim said. “He can see the leaves on the trees again and everything is much better for him.”
The Reicherts have been grateful for the assistance they have received from the Foundation Fighting Blindness since Reichert’s RP diagnosis. Kim said they have provided a lot of information and are committed to putting money into research in hopes of finding ways to preserve the sight of Canadians.
Kim and Evan are hoping to raise a nice pot of money for the organization Saturday with Dinner in the Dark, which will also feature a short awareness video plus a silent auction and some bucket draws. Tickets are $20 each and available by e-mailing Kim at [email protected]
Even though his sight is diminishing Reichert does not let the possibility of blindness get him down.
“It is something that’s always in the back of my mind,” the proud father said. “But I don’t let it bother me. What’s been happening has just been another chapter in my life. You learn to live with it. My kids will always be there to share experiences with. If I can’t read to them we’ll do something else together.”
