ROCKINGHAM — A whole new world was opened for Michael Clinton as a wave of holiday spirit swept through the halls of Richmond Senior High School on Friday morning.
Thanks to the collaborative efforts of Richmond’s students, the Hamlet Lions Club and Mary Sedgewick, Clinton, a Raider football “super fan”, was given the gift of sight.
During a surprise presentation in the school’s gymnasium, Clinton, 66, was gifted a pair of eSight electronic glasses, giving him the ability to see. A Richmond County native, Clinton suffers from Leber’s hereditary optic neuropathy, a degenerative eye disease that caused him to slowly lose his vision beginning at the age of 39.
The disease forced Clinton to quit his job as an Amtrak ticket clerk in Washington, D.C., and return home Richmond County. He got involved with the Hamlet Lions Club, which had a big hand in delivering his newest holiday gift.
“My experience today with the eSight glasses is just so amazing,” Clinton smiled as he sported his new eyewear, which allows him to see 20/20 vision. “It’s just so exciting to receive these (glasses) and they’re going to make a very, very important difference in my life when I wear them.
“I appreciate the students that went through the effort for raising the money and the campaign to help me,” he added. “I appreciate Richmond County, the Richmond Raiders and I thank them so kindly.”
Shanda Roberson and Suzanne Hudson, two longtime teachers at Richmond, spearheaded the secretive holiday fundraiser to help raise money for Clinton’s new eSight glasses. Clinton was given the impression that he would be receiving a monetary donation during the ceremony, but was shocked to find out his new glasses were waiting for him.
The original goal of $3,000 was set by Roberson and Hudson, who explained the Richmond students “far exceeded” that amount over the last couple of weeks. In total, Richmond raised over $4,500.
Helping match $3,000 was the Knights of the Blind, a chapter within the Lions Club that is a 501c3 nonprofit originally established to help those in need with eye surgeries and medications.
Hudson explained that Richmond students donated $800 on Friday, Dec. 6, the highest single day amount raised. Two weeks ahead of the unveil, the Raiders already had raised $2,000.
“We did this to give back to somebody else around the holidays,” Roberson said. “So often we’re on the receiving end of gifts, we wanted to get our kids involved with helping someone else.
“It’s the icing that he’s a super fan of Raider sports,” she added. “There were three goals with this: Michael could get a job, he could become an advocate for eSight, and he could watch sports again.”
Despite not being able to see clearly, Clinton was still a regular in the crowd on Friday nights during Raider football games. He was even wearing a Raider football hat and sweatshirt on Friday.
“The kids didn’t even know Michael and they still wanted to help him and that’s amazing,” Hudson shared. “It’s important that the kids get to see ‘we did this, we were a part of this.’
“This is what makes this community so special,” she added. “Our coming together and helping others.”
On hand to present the eSight glasses was Mary Sedgewick, who lost her sight in 2002 during her residency as an obstetrician-gynecologist. Her and Clinton have been friends for the last decade, meeting every summer at Camp Dogwood for the Blind, which is hosted by the North Carolina Lions Club.
Sedgewick, who also uses the eSight eyewear, explained that she was first introduced to the new technology at the Lions Club state convention in April 2018 in Greensboro. She “built up the courage to try them” and now nearly two years later, she’s an advocate for helping other North Carolinians receive the device she says “turned my life upside down in a good way.”
Two summers ago, Sedgewick began traveling across the state to assist with screenings and evaluation tests for eligible people. This past April, Ann Wheeler, who is Roberson’s mother and a fellow Hamlet Lions Club member, reached out to Sedgewick to see if she would set up a screening in Richmond County.
Clinton would be the first person Sedgewick met with and she knew she wanted to help him get the glasses.
“I’ve known Michael for a long time, and he’s always had this energy and laughter about him,” Sedgewick explained. “I was given the gift of sight again and I wanted to be able to pay it forward.
“This has come full circle,” she smiled. “I went from delivering babies into the world to now I’m giving new life with helping people get their vision back. I’m doing exactly what I was meant to do — I love this new passion and purpose in my life.”
With Clinton and Sedgewick standing in front of a full gymnasium, and Roberson and Hudson seated behind them, senior linebacker Joerail White walked up and delivered a holiday gift bag. Clinton opened it and was moved to tears when he realized he had been given the eSight glasses.
He put on the new black glasses, and using a remote to help assist his vision, Clinton waved around the gym as he saw life clearly for the first time in over two and a half decades.
“This is the greatest outpouring of love I could ever receive,” Clinton said as he addressed the crowd, wiping away tears. “In a couple of months I’ll be 67, and this is the most beautiful Christmas gift I have ever received.”
“It’s amazing how the students came together to do this for Michael,” Sedgewick said. “Their commitment to helping him touched my heart more than anything.
“I was so ecstatic to see his reaction,” she closed. “I know he’s excited to get back to work. This was a very touching experience for everyone. It was like Christmas morning was a week early.”
Following the presentation to Clinton, Sedgewick evaluated 11th grade student Zackery Carter, who was named a candidate for the eSight glasses after being able to see 20/20.
Roberson and Hudson had one more surprise up their sleeves, and presented Carter and his family with $1,000 to go toward his future specs.
What Roberson called the “icing on the cake” was also being able to give $500 to Place of Grace and student Brandon Streeter, who organized a clothing drive this winter.
“If anyone is interested in making a donation to help others, they can donate to the Knights of the Blind,” Sedgewick closed. “This is not going to stop with Michael (or Zackery). We’re just getting started.”
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