“My main message to every visually impaired person is that it’s not worth giving up the fight. It’s so difficult in the beginning, like a grieving process with steps that can come in any order. You may reach acceptance and then struggle again, but those moods fade away.”
~Shawn
Editor’s Note
Earlier this year, when I joined TikTok, Shawn was one of the very first creators I discovered—and from the start, his account stood out to me for its sharp humor and unflinching honesty about living with sight loss. His story resonates deeply, not only because he ended up in the Pittsburgh area, but also through the parallels in our experiences: the vitrectomies, the doctor who kept giving false hope, and the waves of grief that come with vision loss—yet the persistence to keep moving forward.
In this month’s Man In Motion feature, we’re honored to share Shawn’s candid journey. As he reminds us: “My main message to every visually impaired person is that it’s not worth giving up the fight. It’s so difficult in the beginning, like a grieving process with steps that can come in any order. You may reach acceptance and then struggle again, but those moods fade away.”
Shawn’s blend of humor, advocacy, and creative spirit brings light to our community and reminds us all that, even through struggles, connection and hope are possible. I invite you to watch Shawn’s video or read the transcript below as we celebrate his resilience and impact.
Stephanae McCoy
Editor-in-Chief, Bold Blind Beauty
Beyond Sight Magazine Cover
YouTube Video
Introduction: Shawn’s Early Life and Love for Art
Hey, I’m Shawn, and I’m here to tell the story about my vision loss. So even since I was five years old, I loved art just my entire life. I knew that’s what I wanted to do, I just wanted to be creative. And from a young age, I found any way to create art that I could.
The Onset of Health Issues
When I was eight years old, I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes after my body went into shock. After that, that led to rationing insulin, doing things like that, and my diabetes wasn’t under great control. Throughout the teenage years, I noticed that my vision was getting slightly worse, but I just thought that’s what happened when you had to wear glasses. You had to get a new strength every year.
Pursuing Dreams Amidst Challenges
When I turned 27 years old, I started attending the Art Institute of Pittsburgh online for Graphic Design. I was excited about it. It’s what I had always wanted to do and didn’t even know. At the same time, I was working for a security company. I was up for a promotion to a field supervisor position with a company car. Everything was going great.
The Turning Point: Vision Loss
And one day, I started to notice a swirl, like a whirlpool, in my vision. I wasn’t sure what was happening, so I just went to an optometrist and asked them, you know, what could this be? When she looked into my eyes, she almost yelled and said that I needed to go see an ophthalmologist. So of course I did.
That led down a very long road. When I went to see him, he wanted to do surgery right away. So he started with my right eye and did a vitrectomy. The next day, it became infected with a staph infection, and I went back to him weekly to have the eye checked. I could tell that it wasn’t gonna get better, but he kept saying, “It’s gonna be fine, it’s going to be fine.” Then one day he told me, “I’m sorry, I can’t save that eye.” He was finally honest with me.
So after that, the eye was removed, and I got a prosthetic, and he was doing laser treatments on my left eye. The equipment was very outdated, and I ended up with a lot of peripheral loss and damage to my left eye.
So I finally went to a university hospital. They did everything they could, and I still have some remaining vision around 25%.
Coping with Vision Loss
When I was told I was going to get the vision back in my eye, I was excited I could go back to school, and that’s when things got dark for me because they told me that my vision wasn’t going to get any better.
My favorite thing was oil painting, and when I looked at my paintings, I could make out the details. But when I tried to paint again, I couldn’t create detail. I had a friend and his wife asked me to paint them some cherry blossoms for their living room. So I agreed, but I told them it’s gonna be kind of expressionist because I can’t see anymore. When I gave it to them, they looked like I’m not even sure what the look was on their face, but they looked disappointed and kind of sad. And at that moment, I realized I didn’t need to pick up a brush again.
So when dealing with the grief of losing my vision, I had an emotional breakdown, like I think a lot of the visually impaired and blind community does. I destroyed every painting that I had ever made that was in my possession. I threw away almost all of my paintbrushes except the ones that I couldn’t part with ’cause they were my favorites. Then, when they told me that my vision wasn’t going to get any better as far as me being able to read an actual physical book, I had over 400 books, and I donated all of them, and it was rough.
For the next 10 years, I basically just sat in my parents’ house because it was a small town and no one thought that the visually impaired or blind could do anything. So that’s what I was told.
A New Beginning: Advocacy and Creativity
Finally, in 2019, I moved to Pennsylvania and got orientation and mobility training. I got everything I needed. During that time, I got diagnosed with end-stage kidney disease and got a transplant, and it sounds cheesy, but I told myself, if I get this transplant, I’m going to help people. Right now, I have just volunteered to go to Washington, DC, for the American Association of People with Disabilities to go with them to a disability summit in DC in September.
I wanted to keep my promise, because I want to help people and I’m hoping to turn this into a career. But until I can do that, I’m creating TikToks to be an advocate or create humor or something relatable to the visually impaired, because it’s so hard to find the rest of our community. And that’s my way of giving back.
And I look back, yeah, I miss painting, I miss all of that. But one thing that vision loss taught me was that I’m stronger than I ever thought I was. So I’ve just taken to different creative styles, like making my TikTok videos for people. Or trying to paint again, but with puff paint to make it texturized. I’m trying to get creative. I learn instruments, and honestly, I think this is a great way for my life to have turned out.
My life’s more peaceful. I am enjoying life more, and honestly, if I hadn’t lost the vision that I lost, I don’t think I would’ve met my wife, who’s my best friend and the reason that I’m here.
My main message to every visually impaired person, though, is that it’s not worth giving up the fight. It’s not worth it at all. It is so difficult in the beginning, so difficult. It’s a grieving process like any other one, same steps. The only thing is that no one tells you that the grieving steps can go in different orders, and as far as vision loss and blindness, you can be at acceptance, but then months later, be back at depression. But the thing is, those moods fade away.
Connecting With Shawn
- TikTok: @mindfulcyclops
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Image Descriptions:
- The header, the Beyond Sight Magazine cover, and the YouTube Thumbnail include a Portrait-style photograph of Shawn sitting at a table in what looks like a cafe or coffee shop setting. He is wearing a beige or tan-colored jacket and a dark-colored hat. He has a friendly, relaxed expression on his face as he holds a mug, likely containing a hot beverage such as coffee or tea. The background behind him suggests a cozy, indoor environment with brick walls and what appears to be some decorative elements or artwork. The image is styled as a magazine cover titled ‘BEYOND SIGHT | A Bold Blind Beauty Project’ and features ‘Shawn AKA @Mindful Cyclops’. The cover is dated August 2025.
- YouTube Video Description: The video features Shawn sitting on a brown couch, with a striped blanket and a window with striped blinds behind him. He is wearing glasses, a black t-shirt with a white circular graphic and a yellow sun in the middle, a necklace, and a red bracelet. He speaks directly to the camera about his vision loss and his journey through it.
- A black and white photograph of Shawn wearing sunglasses and a dark-colored short-sleeved button-up with dark pants. He is seated in a chair with his hands resting on both arms and his white cane in his right hand. The background suggests an indoor or enclosed setting, with what appears to be wooden or metal paneling or structures visible behind him. The black and white format adds to the vintage or classic feel of the photograph.
- A romantic moment between newlyweds. The scene appears to be taking place indoors, with a brick wall serving as the backdrop. Shawn and his wife are embracing and sharing a kiss. His wife is wearing a white dress with her wavy green hair draped over her shoulders. Shawn is wearing a blue dress shirt with white suspenders.
- This image shows Shawn with a beard, wearing a dark blue hooded sweatshirt with the text ‘Transplant Tough’ printed on it. The sweatshirt has a green ribbon graphic, which is a symbol associated with organ transplant awareness and support. He has a serious expression on his face and is wearing a gray beanie hat. The background appears to be an indoor setting, possibly a room or office space, with blinds or curtains visible in the window behind him. The overall tone of the image conveys a sense of determination and resilience.
- A black and white photograph of Shawn and his wife, posing together. Shawn is wearing sunglasses and a dark-colored jacket, while his wife is wearing a wide-brimmed hat, and her long, wavy hair cascading over both shoulders. They both have serious expressions on their faces, suggesting a formal or posed photograph. The background is blurred, indicating the focus is on the two individuals in the foreground. The lighting and contrast in the image create a moody, vintage-like atmosphere, giving the photograph an artistic and timeless quality.