Harrison County Man Seeking Stem Cell Treatment to Restore Vision

For some people battling illness, stem cell research has proven to make all the difference in their treatment, and a Harrison County man is hoping to join the ranks of those success stories.

Bobby Swiger works at the YMCA in Clarksburg as a personal trainer and goes to school full time for massage therapy. But for Swiger, life is a little more challenging than one would envision.

"I don't want to be the outsider anymore," said Swiger.

As a child, Swiger was diagnosed with Retinitis Pigmentosa, or RP, a degenerative disease he inherited from his mother.

"I was always forced to carry large books to school, large print. So I was always kind of noticed more than I wanted to be. At one point, I actually had a large screen monitor which I had to use to read my books with," said Swiger.

"I learned little tricks to get around it, and I've learned how to trick people to thinking I was normal," said Swiger.

Like others suffering from RP, Swiger is legally blind. During the day, he can see blurred images, but in the dark, everything goes black - literally.

"I'm not really a bar person, but I would like the opportunity to go to a bar and get a drink if I want, but I can't, because if I go into a bar, I'm gonna run into people, probably cause a bar fight 'cause I can't see the guy in front of me," said Swiger.

When it comes to his classes, Swiger says he relies heavily on the help of his teachers at the Clarksburg Beauty Academy, and at home, his girlfriend.But he's ready to be more independent with the help of stem cell treatment.

"They'll take the stem cells out of my hip and inject it into my eye itself. One individual who has had this treatment before me, at the same level I am currently, he was increased to 20/80, which is enormous," said Swiger.

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Harrison County Man Seeking Stem Cell Treatment to Restore Vision