VOICES
NONFICTION
One Step T
at a Time
Kaiden Bridges
here are some things you just can’t run from. But that doesn’t stop Tony McKinney (‘24) from racing. The resilient freshman athlete will run for the Falcon’s track team this year. But one thing sets him apart from the rest of the athletes – McKinney is visually impaired. “In sixth grade math class I accidentally stabbed myself in the eye with a pencil,” McKinney said. “My mom and I went to the doctor, and he told me that I had an Open Angle Glaucoma in my right eye.” Glaucoma is an eye disease that gradually begins to steal vision, and right now, there is no known cure for this condition. The doctor explained to McKinney that his life would never be the same. “I initially felt really discouraged when I found out about my vision,” McKinney admits. But McKinney’s mother Doretha Lipscomb leapt into action. “When Tony was first diagnosed, I honestly didn’t have time to feel anything,” she said. “His eye condition was so aggressive that all I could focus on was trying to get him in to be seen by a specialist to try and slow the progression of his vision loss.” The specialists for McKinney’s condition were all in cities hours away from Fort Mill, including Raleigh and Charleston. “I had to be positive for him and keep him looking forward to a bright future even though he could not see like he once could, he had to do things a different way now and learn it fast,” said Lipscomb. “I am just recently beginning to feel the emotions of him losing his vision and what life looks like with that loss.” When McKinney was initially diagnosed, it was unclear what his future would look like with his impairment. “At first when I was told that I was losing my vision, I was very sad, and felt as if I wouldn’t be able to live anymore. . .” said McKinney. “Now, I am beginning to accept this as a part of me and knowing that my visual impairment is not all that I am.” One way to cope that McKinney has found helpful is
running. “When Tony was first diagnosed with the eye condition, his right eye was no longer in working condition,” Lipscomb said. “He could no longer play the sports that he had been playing such as baseball, basketball, soccer and flag football.” With the help of another visually impaired student, McKinney discovered a sport he still could participate in, which was running track. “I really love running,” said McKinney. “I’ve realized that you don’t exactly need vision to run.” McKinney ran track at Fort Mill Middle School, participating in the 400 meter and 4x4 events. “Once he realized that he could run, he said that he felt like a bird being able to fly for the first time,” Lipscomb said. “He felt free and didn’t have to think about not being able to see to do something he liked again.” With Nation Ford’s track season already underway, McKinney couldn’t be more excited. “Tony is a really hard worker and very coachable,” said track coach Jake Brenner. “He’s committed and has been at almost all of the conditioning sessions we’ve had so far.” Even though the outcome of the spring season is questionable with COVID-19, McKinney still has high hopes for himself and the team this season. “I’m very excited for the upcoming meets,” he said. “I hope we’re able to race and even win some.” Despite the unknown, the runners are continuing to work hard during their conditionings. “Tony has done well so far,” Coach Brenner said. “His vision is limited to his peripheral, so he knows how to compensate and use his vision where it’s strongest.” McKinney runs in the farthest left lane, closest to the field. This way he is able to see the curves in the track due to still having vision in his left eye. “Tony hasn’t let his vision impairment stop him from doing something he loves,” Brenner said. “You can tell that he sets goals and goes after them. I think too many people are afraid to take risks because they’re scared of failure – Tony
“Once he realized he could run, he said that he felt like a bird being able to fly for the first time.” –Doretha Lipscomb
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