Photo By Staff Sgt. Thanh Pham | Pfc. Jose Sierra shows off his new scar after surgery to save his eyesightat Fort...... read more read more
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EL PASO, Texas - It's Halloween, and Pfc. Jose Sierra finds himself in a nightmare. As the day turns into night everything goes dark – and stays dark. The young Soldier’s diagnosis is frightening; there is a tumor on his optical nerve.
Sierra laid on the operating table heavily sedated as doctors made a six-inch incision on the side of his head. The only route in to reach the cancer threatening his eyesight. Scalpels move through the tissue slicing out fragments of harmful tissue. Once the tumor is removed two dozen staples pinch his scalp back together.
Unconscious through the entire procedure, one person very close to Sierra stood wide awake for every grueling second.
His guide to recovery, his mother, Delores Livingston.
A retired Sgt. 1st Class, Livingston watches her son fight for eyesight, normalcy and his career in the Army.
Sierra wakes up, but his fight is far from over. His body goes into a fever as infection sets in. The doctors rush him into another surgery. The second procedure is a success. His mother never leaves his side.
"To have the person closest to me here helps so much,” said Sierra. “My mom has done a lot for me since I was little so to have this support through a time like this is amazing."
After a long stay in the hospital, Sierra is discharged the week of Thanksgiving. He now starts his recovery process in the comfort of his own room, with his mother still by his side.
She never doubted her son’s resilience.
"He was going to be fine,” said Livingston. “He had no other choice, we had to get through this so we did."
What bothers Sierra the most now isn’t’ the month of antibiotics treatment, the doctors visits or countless follow up, but his current physical state. His first day back, his unit plays flag football right outside his barracks room window. All he can do is gaze out with envy.
"It's hard feeling the weakness in my legs and how tired I get just from walking,” said Sierra. “But without my eyesight I wouldn’t be able to do any of it
As Thanksgiving week winds down and Sierra undergoes his first dose of treatment, his mother prepares to return home. "I'll still check up on him constantly,” said Livingston. “He knows how to get a hold of me with whatever he needs."
It’s a new routine for Sierra, balancing out the treatments and doctor visits with normal everyday tasks. He’s already eyeing the gym and the basketball court outside his room. And after he embraces his mother one last time at the airport. It’s off to do laundry, and a trip to the dealership to finalize a purchase on his new car. It’s back to business as usual.
| Date Taken: | 11.30.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 12.09.2015 10:26 |
| Story ID: | 183932 |
| Location: | EL PASO, TEXAS, US |
| Web Views: | 48 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, A new vision, by SSG Thanh Pham, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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