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October 17th, 2012
07:36 AM ET
Drum Major hopes to change perception of visually impairedEditor's note: In the Human Factor, we profile survivors who have overcome the odds. Confronting a life obstacle – injury, illness or other hardship – they tapped their inner strength and found resilience they didn't know they possessed. This week, Dr. Sanjay Gupta introduces us to 22-year-old college senior Paul Heddings, who leads one of the largest college marching bands in the United States. September 7, 2007, is a day I will never forget. That was the day I learned my life was going to change forever. I was 17 years old and leading a typical high school life in Carrollton, Missouri. I loved sports, especially playing on my high school’s baseball team. I was also very invested in extracurricular activities like band, show choir and speech/debate. I thought I had my life planned out before me when that day in September happened. I went to the eye doctor thinking I needed a new contact lens prescription and instead was sent to the emergency room to undergo the first of several invasive surgeries. My junior year was riddled with doctors visits, treatments, surgeries and recoveries. Due to my decreased vision and the potential for further problems, I was no longer able to play sports. This was a huge blow to me, as I loved baseball and shared a special connection to my grandpa through it. With the support of my friends and family I kept my head up and kept moving forward. That fall I took part in my high school's musical, determined that my health problems wouldn’t keep me from what I loved. I became even more invested in music to find a release. My love of it led me to try out for the marching band when I went to the University of Missouri. I found a home in Marching Mizzou. It has been my best decision in college by far. I decided very early on that I wanted to be Head Drum Major of Marching Mizzou before I left school. I love being looked to in difficult times and can keep a level head in high-pressure situations. I don’t see my disability as an excuse not to achieve; if anything I use it as motivation. Walt Disney once said: “It’s kind of fun to do the impossible.” This quote has become an inspiration to me, and I strive to do "the impossible" every day. I hope to change the way people perceive those living with disabilities. I don’t tell people I have a disability right off the bat; not because I’m ashamed of my disability, but because I’d rather them see all of the things I can do instead of pre-determining what I can’t do. I try to challenge the limits of what I "should" be able to do, and hope that others realize that they can do anything if they just put their mind to it and work hard for what they want. |
  About this blog
Get a behind-the-scenes look at the latest stories from CNN Chief Medical Correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Senior Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen and the CNN Medical Unit producers. They'll share news and views on health and medical trends - info that will help you take better care of yourself and the people you love.
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Keep your head up, that smile on your face, all that courage in your heart and you will go in life where ever you want to. I expect we will hear great things 0f you and I'm sure your rewards will be hard fought and won.
Good for you!
I have a friend who is blind and was told he'd never be able to do work in the sciences.
He's since gone on to get a PhD in Chemistry, is doing post-doc work at Purdue, and runs a company that sells adaptive technology products for blind people who want a career in the sciences.
Not bad for a guy who was told "You'll never do science."
Don't listen to the haters....
Nothing but props for this young man! Best of luck for a bright future!
Simply impressed.
Great article but it is a shame that they chose to use the terminology visually impaired. Those with visual disabilities are NOT impaired. Better to say persons with visual disabilities, persons with low-vision, persons who are blind... please try to do better CNN
Catherine, you would prefer the term "dis-abled" rather than impaired? As the father of a son who has retinitis pigmentosa, it is a completely accepted term to say "visually impaired." CNN is right on the mark with their usage. My son does not think of himself as disabled. He received a double degree in four years from an academically tough college, works full time and does not make use of disabled parking when someone transports him. He has a full and active life, not dependent on us as parents or anyone else. It is no one's business how much sight you have or do not have. Whether one has low vision or no vision, it is on a need to know basis, so why categorize one's self unnecessarily?
"Visually impaired" means that a person is impaired visually, which is exactly what blind people are. Their vision is impaired. That has no bearing on how they do anything else. They cannot see normally, and that is an impairment. "Visually disabled" would technically mean they cannot see at all, that their vision is broken or disabled. That's not the case for those with only a partial impairment. You seem to have a case of hyper-political correctness.
No biggie! Have you tried to look into the Ohio State School for the Blind? They had a marching band.
Congratulations, and thanks for telling your story! As a former high school drum major, this filled me with pride and also excitement for you and your future. What incredibly supportive words from your band director, too- I'm sure he didn't say that lightly (knowing band directors.) Good luck in your future. It sounds to me like you will meet every challenge facing you, and help others to do the same.
Extremely cool story! They do not show football pre-game or half-time shows on tv anymore, so I'm not sure how this drum major's story would have been told except for a feature story in the news. A university marching band , including the one that is lead by Paul Heddings, deserves to have the entire half-time show televised. We quit watching all bowl games that do not involve our team directly when they cut out the half-time shows. The whole household goes out to a movie on New Years instead. Thank goodness you can catch some marching band shows on You Tube, maybe Mizzou has a posting there. Go Band!
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What an inspirational young man!!!!!!!
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Both Pam and myself are very proud of your accomplishment. Keep up the good work, I'm sure this experience will help carry you into your life long dreams of a career after college.
Great uncle Greg
I am inspired by your story. I was born deaf, my parents raised me I can do anything I want to do and do not allow my disability stop me. My normal hearing ten month old daughter was diagnosed with bilateral retinal detachments at 6 weeks old and had vitrectomy procedures done three times. I will raise my daughter that she is capable of doing anything she wants to do. Our disabilites are totally opposite because I rely my vision while my daughter relies on her hearing for guides in our lives. Follow your dreams and goals!
snee, I don't EVER use txt spk. Ew. I can barely even type that wiutoht throwing up.I write approximately 2500 words an minute hour when I am creating, so it takes me three hours a day to write the 7500 words. Not bad. Today, though, I need to write 10,500 because I shorted myself 3K yesterday. I am sick, sick, sick (physically), so I gave myself a break yesterday.
My son, Sam, had the very same thing happen in both his eyes in the very same month in 2007 when he was a senior in H.S. He was active in swimming and singing the lead in Musical Theater at his school in Tennessee. During his trials he has endured and grown from the adversity, but there still is a great deal of uncertainty.
We would very much like to be linked and speak with Paul about his treatments and hopes for his future. Since both the young men have so much in common- Sam is a senior at the University of Tennessee. He is hoping for a future in eye treatment.
Quality of vision correction is one area where contact lenses are superior to glasses no matter who you are. Since the lens part of contact lenses sits directly on your eye and covers the seeing part of your eye completely, you will have corrected vision all around, including to the top, bottom, and sides, whereas with glasses, there is no correction for your peripheral vision. That can be problematic for activities like driving, or if the quality of your vision is important in your profession.-'
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