His eyesight faded. But this marathoner's road ahead is clearer than ever
On a hot Fourth of July afternoon in 2011, Daniel Nevarez was driving to Chandler when the road in front of him began to disappear.
“It was scary," he said. "I closed my eyes and I noticed that it was completely green and light gray in my right eye and I couldn't see anything. So I pulled over and called my wife. "
“I was worried because it was a holiday weekend and I couldn't get a doctor’s appointment till Tuesday.”
When Nevarez, 41, finally saw the doctor, he learned that he had suffered a retinal detachment, which occurs when the part of the eye that is responsible for creating images pulls away from the back of the eye.
Nevarez had two surgeries in 15 days. Both were unsuccessful, and he lost the vision in his right eye permanently.
He spent the next eight years adjusting to living with one eye while pursuing his passion for movies working at Harkins Theatres across metro Phoenix. He was on a path to becoming a senior manager.
In 2019, the unthinkable happened.
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Charting a new course for his life
Nevarez developed myopic degeneration in his left eye. The disease causes damage to the retina.
The disease progressed quickly over the next three years and left Nevarez legally blind. He could see shadows of people and objects, but he couldn’t make out details.
He had to leave his job, go on long-term disability and chart a new course for his life.
He found support through his wife Nora, who as a child lost her left eye to retinoblastoma, a type of eye cancer, and who works for the Foundation for Blind Children in Phoenix.
And he found inspiration in an activity one might not associate with people who have visual impairments: Running.
Three years on from his life-changing diagnosis and his decision to take up running, Nevarez is training for the New York City Marathon in early November. With the help of a sighted guide, he is hoping to finish the race in under four hours.
“I want to run it for all those people that were denied because they were different or because they woke up one day and they had a tragic loss or whatever it is,” Nevarez said. “It doesn’t have to be a disability. And I also want to run to prove to myself that I can run to just run and to run it in under four hours.”
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'Things were looking really good in 2019'
Nevarez, born in Los Angeles and raised in Rio Rico, a small town south of Tucson, was a competitive runner in high school, running near five-minute miles. But the course of his life led him to the movies, a passion that had captured his imagination since childhood.
“I grew up in a small town where we didn't have a theater, so I was the kid on the block that had HBO at an early age,” Nevarez said, his voice cheering up as he listed movies like "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom," "The Karate Kid," "Three Amigos!," "A Clockwork Orange" and "Amores Perros."
He considered film school but the cost was too high. After getting a degree in English at Arizona State University in 2005, Nevarez took jobs such as managing a restaurant and working as a director of operations for his sister’s janitorial company.
It wasn’t until he lost vision in his right eye in 2011 that he realized he finally needed to pursue his love for movies. He got an entry-level job with Harkins Theatres and worked his way up over the next eight years with one goal in mind.
“Things were looking really good in 2019,” Nevarez said. “My next goal was to be a general manager and run my own Harkins.”
That dream came crashing down in 2019.
“I was having breakfast early because I had a morning shift. And my wife suddenly starts to melt. She starts to just shrivel. And I'm thinking, ‘I can't see you. Something's going on.”
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How Nevarez adjusted to life without sight
By the beginning of 2020, Nevarez was legally blind. His doctor recommended he sign up for mobility classes and vocational rehabilitation, which would help him overcome barriers to employment and handling daily life tasks.
His wife Nora connected him with her network at the Foundation for Blind Children. The organization serves blind and visually impaired individuals of all ages and provides education and services to help people with vision loss achieve greater independence.
Nevarez learned how to cook, use a cane, read Braille, ride the bus on his own and use voice programs on his phone. He applied to get a guide dog, which he hopes will happen in the next year.
But while he was able to pick up many new skills in just over a year, the transition wasn’t easy.
“I always took the kids to school and I was the one that did the shopping, the cooking,'' Nevarez said. “I just loved it. Then I stopped driving too and that was hard for me.”
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Running helps Nevarez regain his focus
To help him cope, one of his classes at the foundation recommended that he pick up a hobby.
“I was at one of the classes focusing on what to do and I was like, well, I used to run,” Nevarez said.
He began running around his north Phoenix neighborhood with a friend who worked for the foundation. He also ran by himself with the help of Nora, who would map out routes around their neighborhood.
If he got lost, Nevarez used a phone application called Be My Eyes, a free service that he can call and it will access his camera to tell him where he is. He would also call Nora, who admits that letting him go alone made her feel uneasy.
“I was afraid a lot,” she said. “One time he called me after he left, two weeks after he started running. He left home, went for a run and then called me around 7:30 at night and and he goes, ‘I'm lost.’
“I was kind of upset and feeling afraid that something could happen to him. But I was like, just calm down. You're going to be OK.”
The couple stayed on the phone for over five minutes until they found each other.
Training with Achilles International
In 2021, Nevarez learned about Achilles International, a global organization that helps athletes with disabilities participate in athletic programs, competitions and social events. The organization serves wounded veterans, kids and adults with disabilities, and offers programs for people to volunteer as guides.
The Phoenix chapter, operated solely by volunteers, organizes monthly meetups at parks and in neighborhoods where members and guides run or walk together. Guides and athletes are paired based on pace and capabilities.
Teams of Achilles members also participate in local events such as the Hot Chocolate Run in Phoenix, the Mesa Marathon and the Runner’s Den Pancake Run in Phoenix. Achilles members run distances of 5K to half marathons.
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'Things started getting dark really fast'
Nevarez joined several Achilles events in 2021. But while running provided him with a way to adjust to his new life, Nevarez said anxiety and depression quickly caught up with him.
“Things started getting dark really fast and I tried to commit suicide last year,” Nevarez said. “I am such a positive person. I think as I was going through this I tried to be as happy as I could and I think I just snapped. I absolutely regret that because I want to be here," he said, referring to being with his family.
For Nora, the experience was scary, but it was a pivotal moment that gave way to a stronger family bond.
“The entire experience was so horrible to all of us that we didn’t want to repeat it. He didn't want to go back. I didn't want that to happen again. But the running saved his life, our lives and our relationship.”
Stronger with every step
Nevarez checked into a mental health center for several days and was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. His time away reminded him how much he loved his family and how much running had helped him.
“I got back up and I decided, you know what? I need to find something,” Nevarez said. “I need to focus on something. I'm not going to work, and I'm not going to let being at home really hurt me. So I said, let's really focus on running.”
After he came home, Nevarez dedicated most of his time to running. Even after over 15 years away from competition, he could still run a mile in under eight minutes and complete a 5K in 23 minutes. His skills caught the attention of Phoenix’s Achilles International chapter.
As Nevarez continued to do well in local events, the group encouraged him to aim higher.
“Daniel's a newer member for us and he was a pretty fast runner and really into running,” said Eric Meyer, who has volunteered with the Phoenix chapter for over 12 years. “Daniel was really excited about running races and he had all these goals and he expressed an interest in the New York City Marathon.”
How Nevarez got into the New York City Marathon
People from all over the world travel to the Big Apple to participate in the world’s largest marathon. A spot in the race is highly coveted, a bucket list goal for many runners. This year's race will have 50,000 runners.
There are several ways runners can get in. Entry is guaranteed for runners who meet qualifying times based on age and sex. Those who don't qualify based on their time can enter the lottery run by the race organizers, the New York Road Runners. Spots also are offered to runners who commit to raising either $2,500 or $3,000 for charity.
Achilles helped Nevarez apply for a spot in the race. Through the organization, he submitted his name for a drawing and got a call back with good news within a matter of days.
His name was drawn and all he had to do was pay the $295 entry fee.
How Nevarez trains for the New York City Marathon
Nevarez will run the marathon with his sighted guide Brian Fischer, a Scottsdale resident who has been volunteering with Achilles International for over two years.
Fischer first met and ran with Nevarez in April 2021 during a 5K at Kiwanis Park in Peoria. Both men have run half marathons; neither has run a full. The pair recently completed the San Diego Half Marathon, which was a confidence booster.
“Daniel and I are going on this journey together,” Fischer said excitedly. “I've run half marathons in the past but I've not run a full marathon, so we're both training towards this in November.”
They train six days a week. Fischer arrives at Nevarez’s house at about 4:45 a.m. and they start before 5 to beat the heat. Their typical runs vary from three to eight miles. On weekends they venture into distances of 14 to 20 miles at parks and along canals. The other days of the week they go to the gym together for strength training.
Nevarez and Fischer run shoulder to shoulder while holding a bright yellow tether. Fischer said his job is to tell Nevarez what's going on in their surroundings. The tether is an extra communication mechanism to help Nevarez stay in position and get around obstacles like curbs, trees or oncoming cars.
“I think people have a hard time understanding how he does it and considering there's a lot of trust that he puts in me and being able to go out and run at the pace that we do,” Fischer said.
“Particularly in the mornings, it's dark out for both of us. We're working through it. But he's putting a lot of trust in me to get through it and do what he needs to do. It is pretty amazing what he's capable of doing that you don't realize until you see him in action.”
While Fischer admires Nevarez’s work ethic, one aspect to their time together has had an even longer lasting impact.
“We definitely have developed a friendship through this process and have gotten to know each other better, know our families a little bit better. So it’s a really nice experience, Fischer said.”
2022 NYC Marathon: 'I'm excited to be a part of this'
In the coming weeks Nevarez and Fischer will taper down their mileage before the big race on Nov. 6 that will take them through all five boroughs of New York City.
Nevarez will be taking his wife and two children to the city. To help with the costs of travel, food and lodging, Nevarez and his family have set up a GoFundMe page with the goal of raising $5,000. To date, Nevarez has raised over $4,530.
Nevarez has never been to New York. When asked if he was disappointed he wouldn’t be able to see it, he responded with hope, excitement and new goals for the future.
“I've never been to New York. Too bad I can't see it now,” Nevarez said with a giggle. “I joke about it, but I'm excited to be a part of this and to be with my family.
“I really have to take the bull by the horns and I just want to run. I want to be able to qualify for Boston (Marathon) and continue this journey.”
You can connect with Arizona Republic Culture and Outdoors Reporter Shanti Lerner through email at shanti.lerner@gannett.com or you can also follow her on Twitter.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: This blind Phoenix man is running the 2022 NYC Marathon
