Through Our Eyes: Finding A Brighter Way

Please note: Some thematic elements in this story may be triggering for certain readers.

“It took me becoming blind, to see how bright my future is.” – Dillon Tarn.

A young man stood on a dirt mound in the middle of a baseball diamond in Abilene, Kansas. He was facing home plate; a cap sat firmly on his head and a baseball steadied in his hand. He solidified his stance, made the proper adjustments of his grip throw a fastball, did his wind up and then proceeded to throw a perfect strike directly across home plate.

Throwing a perfect strike is no easy feat, and especially in the case of this particular young man … because he is blind.

Country Born. Country Bred.

Dillon was raised in Abilene, Kansas, and the surrounding area. He had a self-described “backwoods childhood,” consisting of activities commonly associated with that kind of lifestyle: hunting, fishing, riding 4-wheelers, and working on the farm. As he got older, Dillon got heavily involved in sports. He took snaps for his school’s football team as the quarterback; he played pitcher, catcher, and shortstop for the baseball team.

Unfortunately, around this age some teens are susceptible to anxiety, struggles with self-doubt, and a lack of self-esteem. While Dillon would prove to be the exception to other rules later on in his life, in this he was no different.

Blinded By a Bullet

“I was getting horrible grades, running with the wrong crowd, making really bad decisions and had no clue what I wanted to do with my life,” Dillon explains about his teenage years. “But on May 7, 2017, when I was 16 years old, my life took a 180 degree turn … ”

From what he could piece together through patches of memory, police reports and what he was told, Dillon was in his room handling a 9mm pistol. He had removed the clip, but didn’t account for the bullet in the chamber. While the barrel of the gun was pointed toward his face, it discharged, severing his optic nerve, making it necessary for the removal of his left eye, and leaving him completely blind.

Food For the Soul: Life After the Gunshot Wound

While in rehabilitation , Dillon was asked to try and write a list of anything that came to mind. The first thing that did was his mother’s M&M cookie recipe, which he knew by heart. And as a way to continue his rehabilitation, his mother’s cookies became the first thing Dillon would bake completely blind.

From that moment onward, cooking became therapeutic for Dillon.

“My brother and I have been cooking since we could reach the stove,” Dillon says. “My mom taught us from a young age that we were not going to depend on anyone, that we were going to know how to cook.”

“I would not change what happened. If it hadn’t happened, I would probably be in a gutter somewhere,” he confesses. “Losing my sight has opened my eyes.”

After his rehabilitation, Dillon would return to the baseball diamond as his team manager, (as well as contributing to the local radio broadcast).

Dillon would become a straight A student during the rest of his high school career, and after graduating he attended the Kansas State School for the Blind, where he served in a mentoring role teaching cooking tips and tricks to young students who were blind or visually impaired.

College Man, Alphapointe, and Kids in the Kitchen

Dillon is now attending Johnson County Community College. It was during this time that he learned about Alphapointe’s “Kids in the Kitchen,” a program that provides visually impaired young adults with cooking skills. And, perhaps more importantly, a sense of independence.

In October of 2023, he accepted the position of head chef for “Kids in the Kitchen” where he also comes up with lesson plans and ingredients lists.

Dillon has recently completed his associates degree in general studies, and is pursuing an associates in art with a focus on elementary education.

“I would not change what happened. If it hadn’t happened, I would probably be in a gutter somewhere,” he confesses. “Losing my sight has opened my eyes.”