Settling In

Hello once again to everyone. Happy New Year! The post-holiday blues have officially set in as I begin to pull myself together and prepare for a new year and a new semester. Since my last post, one could say that “everything” has happened.

For starters, campus life has undoubtedly taken a turn for the better. As I stated in my previous blog post, “I am determined to prove to my new Friar family who I am”. I feel that I have been making strides towards this goal each and every day at school. Truthfully, it has not been easy attempting to break the mold of the perception that my physical attributes have created. With that being said, I am thankful to be a student at a college that has responded so positively to my situation. Academically, this past semester I have been able to push forward with great success, largely in part to the accommodations and resources that are available to me on campus. I did experience my usual bouts of illness periodically throughout these last four months. To my surprise, I was able to stay caught up with all my studies. It has also been great to see the success that the Friar basketball and hockey teams have had this season. Get it Dunn! Overall, I couldn’t be happier with my decision to attend Providence College!

One of my biggest battles over the course of the semester was my ability to see. Towards the end of my junior year of high school, I began to observe that my vision was becoming slightly fuzzy. At first, it seemed to me that the impairment in my vision was correlated with my DBS (Deep Brain Stimulator), which was one of the reasons I turned off one side of the device. Since I could still see fairly well at this point, I did not think much of my minor vision issues. As I continued into my senior year, my distorted vision was progressing, and it became increasingly difficult to make out items just a few feet in front of me. I visited multiple doctors and nobody could provide me with a clear diagnosis or solution until about two months ago when I met with a specialist in Boston. At the appointment, it was suggested that I developed a common progressive eye disease known as Keratoconus. I was sent to another specialist who confirmed that it was, in fact, Keratoconus. From there, my confidence in finding a treatment was completely restored. Two more appointments were scheduled and the ball was rolling! Last week, I met with yet another specialist who deals with contacts designed specifically for individuals with Keratoconus. My doctor worked his magic and, after merely one round of tests, provided me with two contacts. Once both were popped in, it was as if my eyes were taking in a whole new world. I had not seen that well in years! The 20 minute long appointment was somewhat a tease as the contacts I was wearing were only a sample pair and in order to call a pair my own, they would need to be ordered. At the moment, I am scheduled to pick up my contacts on January 20th which, coincidentally is my birthday - some birthday present, huh?

My 2016 has begun on such a positive note that I cannot help but to be excited for what is ahead down the road. I wish all of you a happy and healthy 2016 and thank you for taking the time to stay-up to date with my blog!

All the very best,

Michael