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Despite complete loss of vision in his right eye, Bryce (top) has maintained his aggressiveness on the wrestling mat, says Darryl Tucker, Summerville High School wrestling coach.

Eighteen months ago, Bryce Lawrence, a senior at Summerville High School, went to sleep feeling perfectly healthy. When he awoke the next morning, however, Bryce could not see out of his right eye.

Bryce called his dad, Lowell Lawrence, at work. “I thought he was joking,” says Lowell. “I told him to put some water on his face and call me back. When he called back and said his eye had not improved, my anxiety went up.”

Lowell picked up Bryce and drove him to an eye doctor who photographed the veins in Bryce’s eyes and determined that a clot was preventing blood from flowing to Bryce’s retina.

“The doctor told me it was permanent almost immediately,” says Bryce.

Lowell recalls how distraught he was to learn that his son’s vision would not return.

“As a parent, the biggest thing was knowing that you were limited in helping. I (couldn’t) just jump in like helping out with homework or fixing a car,” says Lowell. “I couldn’t do anything for him.”

Concerned that the clot may foreshadow an impending stroke, the optometrist sent Bryce to Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), where he remained for nearly one week, of which the first two nights were spent in critical care as doctors tried to remove the clot.

The doctors as MUSC told Bryce that he had a central retinal artery occlusion. “The doctors couldn’t really find an exact cause for the clot,” says Bryce. “They thought I may have had a seizure in my sleep.”

Occlusions are more common in people 60 years and older, says Dr. Jason Brody, an ophthalmologist in North Charleston.

The condition is not extremely rare; however, it is not common either, according to Brody, who estimates that general practitioners see a few patients a year who have a central retinal artery occlusion.

While at MUSC, Bryce was told by doctors that he should quit one of the things he loved most in life — wrestling. Shortly thereafter, Bryce learned about a wrestler at Lehigh University who was blind in one eye and wore goggles.

“I thought if he could do it, I could, too,” says Bryce. Inspired by his story, Bryce vowed to continue wrestling.

Losing vision in his right eye has only had a small effect on Bryce’s ability to wrestle. “Wrestling is really about feel,” says Bryce. “I still know what’s going on and am able to defend my blind side pretty well.”

Although Bryce’s vision loss has not had much of an effect on his wrestling — he has won four of his six matches this year — he admits it has affected his everyday life.

“It affects my driving and when I walk through the hallways at school,” Bryce says. “It affects pretty much everything I do. I notice it every day. It’s just hard.”

Bryce, who has 20/20 vision in his left eye, has learned to cope with the disability although it was difficult at first and continues to present challenges.

“I was depressed when it initially happened because it was such a shock,” Bryce says. “I couldn’t believe it was happening. My parents felt the same way. They didn’t know what to say.”

Darryl Tucker, SHS wrestling coach, admires Bryce’s resiliency both on and off the mat.

“When it first happened, it shocked all of us,” says Tucker. “Having that happen would be tough for anyone to handle and overcome.”

Tucker says that Bryce’s loss of vision has not hindered him and that Bryce has maintained his aggressiveness as a wrestler.

“When Bryce was a freshman, even though he had been wrestling for only one year at the time, I told him he had the potential to be a state champion,” says Tucker. “It’s great that he is continuing to work to get to that point.”

Lowell hopes that Bryce’s story is an inspiration to others.

“From being accepted to having to deal with a disability, today seems a lot more complicated for our young people,” says Lowell. “Everyone should have the chance to feel and be special — disability or not.”

Contact Michael Tannebaum at 873-9424 ext. 215 or mtannebaum@journalscene.com

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