Seeing the Bright Side

Reid Fellner discusses his fight to push through his eyesight condition

FORT COLLINS, Colo. — It’s a warm summer day as the fly-fishing enthusiasts come out to get their lines in. Conditions are optimal, and the fish are up bright and early to eat.

As the waders come on and the lures fly out, the day looks prime, and the fish are ready to be snatched up.

As the fish draws near and the line gets tighter, most people would look for movement in the pole. Reid Fellner, 20, instead feels for the thumping in the rod.

“I would say that my disease doesn’t really affect my hobbies besides fly fishing, and when it comes to that hobby, I rely on the feel of when the fish bites so I know when to set. And that feeling is like no other,” Reid said.

Reid Fellner was catching a fish during a trip with his family in California. He decided to fish normally for this trip. Photo by Meg Fellner. 

Even though hobbies like these may be no big deal to others, Reid said he takes immense pride in overcoming his vision problems and taking challenges like this head-on.

About 11 years ago, Reid’s parents noticed that something was off with his vision once it became harder for Reid to read books with contrasting colors. Words began to mush together and things surrounding him were starting to get fuzzier and fuzzier. The diagnosis came as something of a shock to them.

            The field was freshly cut, the small orange cones were in position and the game was ready to begin. “We will never forget when he was playing soccer and one week, they had him playing goalie, and he did amazing and blocked all the goals,” Reid’s father, Steve Fellner, 54, said.

Reid seemed to be making strides in his new goalie position. “A few weeks later when they put him in again, I was on the sideline watching him not saving a goal for his life and thinking about all the puzzle pieces coming together and looking at his mom and saying something is wrong,” Steve said.

When Reid was diagnosed with Stargardt’s disease, he said that he had to stop many of the things that he used to love doing, like baseball, basketball and soccer. It was tough for him because his friends had no problem continuing these sports, but Reid had to be left behind.

Seeing his friends run and play and enjoy the basic abilities of a person, running and chasing the ball with ease, Reid was distraught with this new way of life he would have to adapt to and this new sense of loneliness that he felt because of his condition.

With Stargardt’s disease, Reid’s vision is limited way beyond what it is for an average person’s vision. An average person can see at 400 feet; Reid said his vision limits him to 20 feet.

“It was for sure a time of change and a learning curve because I had to come to terms with my new eyesight and learn many technologies that would help me moving forward,” Reid said. “But I also had to learn the most important skill of all, self-advocacy.”

A typical day for Reid looks like a lot of awkward moments and occasional failures; confusing signs, blurry strangers, and misleading directions are all common problems. He must use many different technology sources to help him see everyday things like menus or street signs. 

Luckily, Reid said he has been fortunate to meet so many good friends in college and now resides in a local fraternity house where his brothers are always there to help him with his tasks if he needs.

This also came as a welcoming surprise to his parents after worrying about Reid leaving for college on his own.

“We were really nervous and scared because moving him in was like out of a movie because of covid and Reid finding out he would not have a roommate in his dorm,” Reid’s mother, Meg Fellner, 53, said.

College posed a new additional threat because of the rise of the Covid epidemic. With all of the welcome events and classes being canceled due to Covid, Reid said he found himself in a tricky situation trying to communicate with his teachers when things were not working. Luckily, he reminded himself and his family that his eyesight was just another obstacle for him to overcome

“We knew he would succeed and be just fine,” Meg said. “I think it took him a while to meet a solid crew and we were worried that his vision would be the least of his concerns. But know, when we visit, we are just so proud to see him living in a frat house with great friends and doing so well in his life!”

Reid Fellner fly fishing with his father, Steve Fellner. Steve came up to Fort Collins to fly fish with Reid and to meet his friends. Photo by Tomer Borik.

On top of fly fishing, Reid loves to ski and hike too. And even when these activities can pose obstacles to him, he always finds a way to go about it, even if it requires some other senses.

“I would say I have strong hearing even though I am partially deaf in my right ear. But I am also strong in smell and touch,” Reid said.

Through the struggles, the loneliness and the new urgency to adapt, it would be assumed that Reid would just give up and accept the fate that he now faced. However, Reid pushed through and defied the odds. 

Throughout his time after being diagnosed, Reid has seen and done things that no one in his position would ever think they could do; whether it is taking the house dog out for a walk and guiding himself or planning an entire event for his chapter, these things made Reid stronger than his condition. They made him confident in his ability to enjoy life like everyone else.

“I think the advice that I would give to someone who is blind is to stay strong and don’t be afraid to lean on people and ask for help if needed. And let the challenges make you stronger and learn how to overcome them,” Reid said. “Remember that you can do anything you put your mind to and don’t let your disease hold you back!”