The USA Today–bestselling biography of a man who lost his sight as an adult and regained it twenty years later without any medical intervention.
Unblinded is the true story of New Yorker Kevin Coughlin, who became blind at age thirty-six due to a rare genetic disorder known as Leber’s Hereditary Optic Neuropathy. Twenty years later, without medical intervention, Kevin’s sight miraculously started to return. He is the only known person in the world who has experienced a spontaneous, non-medically assisted, regeneration of the optic nerve. Unblinded follows Kevin’s descent into darkness, and his unexplained reemergence to sight.
Praise for Unblinded
“A remarkable story of sudden blindness, new vision, and sight regained. It offers great insight into the nature of reality—that which we perceive and that which we create for ourselves.”—Isaac Lidsky, New York Times–bestselling author of Eyes Wide Open
“Its pages take us, at once, on a remarkable true adventure and into the heart and mind of a most extraordinary individual. A beautifully written and inspiring tale, and a reminder to us all about what really matters.”—Robert Kurson, New York Times–bestselling author of Rocket Men
“Unblinded provides honest, profound insight into the emotional trauma that occurs when vision is lost and the path forward in life cannot be seen.”—Lissa Poincenot, National Leber’s Hereditary Optic Neuropathy Advocate
“A fascinating, behind-the-scenes tour of what went on during those years of darkness and how Kevin Coughlin, after battling alcoholism, loneliness, prejudice, and perhaps most of all himself, emerges as a man of wisdom and sight.”—Ann Campanella, award-winning and bestselling author of Motherhood: Lost and FoundTraci Medford-Rosow is the award-winning author of bestseller Inflection Point: War and Sacrifice in Corporate America. She is also the author of Data Exclusivity: Encouraging Development of New Medicines, as well as numerous op-eds published by Pharmaceutical Executive on key pharmaceutical issues. Traci is a partner in the New York City law firm Richardson & Rosow. Previously, she worked at Pfizer for thirty years as Senior Vice President and Chief Intellectual Property Counsel, Global Head of IP Litigation, and General Counsel of Europe. She is the founder of The College Education Milestone Foundation, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to helping high-performing students attend college. Traci lives in New York City and Mahopac, New York with her husband. They have two adult children.Kevin Coughlin has appeared on numerous radio and TV shows. He inspired a CNN story chronicling his experience living as a blind person in New York City which was instrumental in establishing its first blind advocacy program. His story, Blind Injustice, was featured on the CBS evening news. He lives in New York City with his beloved dog, Elias.