My name is Alan Cruz, and I’m 23 years old. I’m an entrepreneur, world traveler, adventurer, and someone who believes in living life to the fullest—even if that means dealing with retinal detachment surgery.

From a young age, I’ve always had a natural curiosity that led me to explore the world around me.

I was never one to be satisfied with the status quo or accept things as they are, especially because I believed that things could be changed or improved. 

This mindset has been my guide throughout my life, a life that has been shaped by living with Marfan syndrome—a rare genetic disorder I was born with that affects the connective tissue in my body.

Life with Marfan Syndrome

Living with Marfan syndrome has been a journey of medical challenges and complications. Since the age of three, I’ve undergone several surgeries to address issues affecting my chest, abdomen, and now eyes.

My first surgery at age three was due to a hernia, and between the ages of eleven and fourteen, I had another surgery on my chest to correct a rare condition known as pectus excavatum. Basically, my chest bones would sink into my body as I grew older.

To fix this condition and prevent it from becoming fatal, doctors placed two metal bars inside my chest to prevent my chest from sinking in further. Those metal bars stayed inside my body for 5 years.

Then, in 2019, I underwent surgery to remove the bars from my body.

After six surgeries, I believed that 2019 would mark the end of my surgical journey.

Life Had Other Plans: My Detached Retina

On June 24, 2024, I experienced something that would challenge me in ways I would’ve never imagined—a retinal detachment.

It started with one eye, but after consulting eye doctors while I was out of town in Pittsburgh, it became clear that both of my eyes were affected and simultaneously detached.

What followed was a journey that tested my resilience and faith but, ultimately, became another chapter in my story of perseverance.

Over the last two months, my life has taken an unexpected turn that I never saw coming. It all began on what felt like a typical day in Pittsburgh. Just a week earlier, on June 18, I officially moved out of my parents’ home in North Las Vegas, where I had lived my entire life.

As a 23-year-old, I decided to embrace my inner nomad and explore the world, beginning with visiting a city I’d never ventured before: Pittsburgh.

Friends who owned a few properties there had invited me to stay for a couple of weeks, and it was a perfect start to my new adventure before heading to Washington, DC, where I used to live and work in 2022.

I was living my best life—meeting new people, attending bachata & salsa dance events, exploring nature, and hiking daily. The city’s beauty, hiking trails, and parks became my playground.

But everything changed on June 24, during what I thought would be just another four-mile hike through a trail behind the house I was staying at.

My First Symptoms of a Retinal Tear and Detachment

As I was making my way through the hike, I noticed something strange happening with my left eye. There were flashes of light and fluttering, but I brushed it off, thinking it was just my expired contact lenses acting up.

I finished the hike, tired but accomplished, and returned to the house. It wasn’t until I stepped inside that I realized something was wrong. The top right corner of my left eye had gone completely dark, as if someone were holding a hand over it. I couldn’t see anything out of that part of my eye.

At that moment, I instinctively knew it was a retinal detachment. But it was already late in the evening, and I was unable to get into the eye doctor’s office. I decided to wait until the next day to seek help.

The following day, I went to an optometrist who quickly referred me to an eye urgent care at UPMC in Pittsburgh. There, I was seen by three different doctors (retina specialists). They performed a dilated eye exam, which is crucial for diagnosing retinal detachment as it allows eye doctors to identify early signs of retinal tears or detachment.

The news was worse than I could have imagined: I was experiencing retinal detachments in both eyes, and I needed surgery immediately.

My First Retinal Detachment Surgery Happened Away From Home

The very next day, I underwent a scleral buckle surgery on my left eye. The surgery aimed to return the retina to its normal position at the back of the eye. A few days later, I purchased a flight back home to Las Vegas, knowing that I would need additional surgeries for my eyes.

This was the beginning of a journey I never anticipated, but it would test my strength and resilience in ways I had yet to encounter.

The following week after my first surgery was a whirlwind of emotions and realizations. I returned to Las Vegas on June 28, knowing that this experience would change me in ways I hadn’t fully grasped.

While it was overwhelming, it also felt like the beginning of a transformative journey that was happening for my greatest good. Maybe this journey would bring a wave of positive life change I’d been secretly praying for.

On July 8, just ten days after returning to Vegas, I found myself in another emergency surgery—this time on my right eye. My retina was detaching rapidly, and there was no time to waste.

The surgery was crucial, but I barely had time to process what was happening during my latest medical emergency. It was a race against time, so I wouldn’t permanently lose my sight. The stakes couldn’t have been higher.

My Second Surgery and Attempt to Avoid Permanent Vision Loss

A week later, on July 16, I was back in the operating room, this time for a vitrectomy on my left eye. The scleral buckle surgery hadn’t been enough to stabilize my retina, which was deteriorating.

The vitrectomy was my best chance to preserve my vision, but it also marked another layer of complexity in an already challenging journey.

Each surgery was not just a physical ordeal but an emotional and mental battle, testing my resilience and my ability to keep pushing forward despite the uncertainty.

Now, just a few weeks after the surgeries on both my right and left eyes, I’m happy to say that I’m recovering smoothly.

During this time, I did a lot of research, diving into Reddit, YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram stories and learning about other people who’ve gone through retinal detachments.

I learned that maintaining healthy blood vessels in the retina is crucial. They supply oxygen and nourishment to the retina, preventing complications like retinal detachment and vision loss.

For many people who had retinal detachment surgery, it seemed like the end of the world. Some never regained their vision, others faced even more complications, and many felt defeated by the experience.

Retinal Detachment Surgery Did More Than Save My Vision

My healing process has been very personal and intentional. Aside from my amazing surgeons, Dr. Chhablani, Dr. Loo, and Dr. Liu, who did excellent surgical work to save my eyes, my new habits and practices have also contributed to my healing and rapid recovery.

While recovering from my eye surgeries, I’ve practiced meditation and breathwork every morning, never missing a day. These two practices have elevated my confidence, and I feel significantly less stressed daily.

Having eye surgery three times would stress anyone out! Still, I remained calm, grounded, and optimistic, embracing a knowing that everything would be okay. And I trusted that feeling.

I’ve also switched my diet to consume whole foods, vitamins, and many vegetables and fruits. Fruits and vegetables play a powerful role in recovery, offering the body nutrients and vitamins that support our immune system and fight inflammation – two things I dealt with after surgery.

Juicing has also been vital to my diet. I’m drinking various recipes that have naturally boosted my mood, immune system, and body to heal and care for itself.

Another way to prevent retinal detachment is to take protective measures, such as wearing safety goggles during risky activities and regular comprehensive dilated eye exams to detect potential issues early.

Healing From This Has Required More Than Eye Drops

This entire experience inspired me to be more intentional about the relationship between my mind and body.

Despite going through more surgeries and not knowing what would happen, I kept faith and belief that everything was alright.

That wasn’t just me telling myself, “Everything is okay.” It was a deep, in-my-bones feeling that everything would be better than I imagined.

Surgeries don’t scare me. I’m no stranger to surgeries. I’ve been through six surgeries in my lifetime, starting from early childhood. So, I knew that while these surgeries weren’t something I’d ever wish to go through, they were necessary for my health, personal growth, and transformation.

This experience has been transformative in ways I couldn’t have imagined. It has built my confidence and given me a stronger sense of who I am. Facing the possibility of losing my vision has completely reframed my perspective—not just on sight, but on the vision of my life.

I’ve realized that the surface-level things I once thought were important pale compared to what matters. This experience forced me to reflect on what I want the vision of my life to be.

I want it to be about helping others, serving the world, giving back, and sharing my story—just as I’m doing now. I hope that by sharing my journey, someone going through something similar might find a spark of hope, love, and light.

Since the beginning of August, I’ve been volunteering with Las Vegas Liberation, which distributes food and resources to community members living on the streets.

This experience has inspired me to give back to people, just as they have given to me during my recovery journey. I started a GoFundMe in July, and I’ve been blessed to receive financial support from people worldwide as I continue to heal.

Retinal Detachment Surgery Taught Me Valuable Lessons About Resilience

As a veteran of many surgeries, I’ve learned that recovery can be challenging, sometimes hellish, but there’s always a light at the end of the tunnel. And so far, that’s all I’ve experienced. I’ve decided that instead of letting this negatively define me, I’m choosing to let it empower me.

I choose to see the world not through cynicism or pessimism but with a hopeful, optimistic outlook, knowing that things always work in my favor.

Right now, I’m drafting a book to tell my story of living with Marfan’s syndrome and navigating the challenges that have come with it.

Writing this book is part of my healing journey.

I’ve also begun my journey as a content creator, sharing my experiences with surgery, retinal detachment, and building resilience. I believe that resilience is a skill everyone can benefit from, and I’m passionate about helping others learn how to develop it through action.

The Road to Recovery Can Be a Challenge

I’m happy to report that as I recover, I still have all of my sight in both eyes. Although the prescription in my left eye may have changed due to the current silicone oil placed in my eye from my third surgery (July 18), I’m grateful for every bit of vision I have.

As of August 2024, I don’t know when the silicone oil will be removed from my eye, requiring a tenth surgery. But for now, I’m taking life month by month, week by week, focusing on preserving myself in the present moment and living each moment as if it’s my only one.

I’ve slowly started getting back to the things I love. I’ve been driving again, attending dinners with friends, and socializing.

Through all of this, I’ve realized that it’s not what happens to you that truly matters; it’s how you react to it. Life will always throw challenges our way, but our response to those challenges defines us.

As I recover and face whatever comes next, I do so with a heart full of hope, a spirit of adventure, and a deep appreciation for the present moment. Healing is a non-linear, complex journey, and it’s up to us to figure out how we can best heal.

Have you had a retinal detachment, retinal tear, or other serious eye injury? Let us know what your experience was like in the comment section below.