Leer en Español, traducido por El Vocero Hispano
Wyoming — On many days in class his sophomore year, Omar Blanco sat with one eye closed, or a hand inconspicuously covering it.
If he tried to read normally, the text blurred in front of him and he saw double.
Months went by, and along with the double vision came headaches, nausea and vertigo. Normally, a strong student, Omar was getting a D+ in geometry and was outright failing a business class.
He was new to Wyoming Public Schools in 10th grade, and worried he would fall behind and have to retake classes, but his vision wasn’t improving.
“Toward the end of sophomore year, my grades were the lowest they’d ever been. I didn’t really didn’t reach out to my teachers enough to let them know what was going on.”
Now, as Omar approaches graduation day May 21, his vision is 20/20 and he has a clear picture of what he’d like his future to look like. He’s attending Grand Valley State University in the fall to major in premedical studies. After that, he wants to continue medical school to become an anesthesiologist.
Omar is a volunteer with Key Club, a Student Council member and is finishing high school with a 3.5 GPA. He said he is thankful he finally spoke up to ask for help getting to the finish line.
A Loss of Focus
Omar’s vision problem began after he was in a car accident in his neighborhood. He was in the passenger seat and his mom was driving. His head hit the dashboard, and he and his mom both went to the emergency room with injuries.
While they were both released from the hospital that same day, a month or two passed and Omar started getting flashes of double vision that were getting worse and worse. That led to months of appointments and tests including an MRI, CT scan and a spinal tap. He was eventually diagnosed with acute acquired esotropia, a sudden misalignment of the eyes.
“I was worried because I didn’t know if I could ever see again. I really wanted to drive and I had just finished the first segment of driver’s training,” he recalled.
He missed many days of school, he said, estimating that he was absent for a total of at least a month.
For a while he wore prism glasses, which helped, but his vision finally returned to normal after he had eye muscle surgery last February in his right eye to realign his eyes.
“It felt good. I felt like I could just go back to being normal and being able to enjoy everything,” he said.
Omar is in the Kent Career Technical Center’s Medical Assistant program, and as a junior he was in the Biomedical Technology and Research program. He said his own experience has reinforced his desire to work in health care because he can empathize with people who need care.
“I’ve been there,” he said.
He said he wants to be there for them, offering care and reassurance.
“I really like medical assisting, helping people throughout their journey when things are going hard. I want to be able to care for someone, because they don’t always have somebody.”
Omar said his parents, Omar Blanco Sr. and Eileen Gutierrez, helped him every step of the way.
“My parents took me to every appointment, and they showed up to tell teachers why I was missing school so much.”
Math teacher Steven Zajac said Omar did everything he could to catch up.
“Omar was a standout student in my Algebra 2 class, not just for his academic success, but for the grit he showed throughout the year,” he said. “After missing a decent amount of school due to eye surgery, Omar didn’t let the setback hold him back. He returned with determination, working tirelessly to catch up on everything he had missed.
“His resilience and drive were evident in the way he tackled challenging material and performed exceptionally well on assessments.”
Science teacher Heather Baker added that Omar has been an asset in her physics class and to the school in leadership opportunities. His cooperative attitude has led him to do well.
“Omar overcame … adversity by working extra hard his junior and senior year, which is shown by his academic skills, dedication to raise his GPA and involvement in the Wyoming school community. (He) is a fine young person with a promising future for success.”
He’s also dedicated to Wyoming High School. Omar has a bit of a secret identity as the Wyoming Wolves mascot, often dressed up at athletic and school events.
“I (was the wolf) at the homecoming carnival. It was fun playing around with the little kids. They would come up and give me high fives. It was nice being able to give them a fun experience,” he said, pleased to be finishing high school and again able to participate in athletics and other events.
Omar said he realized how important it is to let others know what is going on rather than struggle silently. His advice for other students is to speak up if they are facing an obstacle.
“Communicate with your teachers and everyone around you so they can help you get back on track,” he said.
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