LA GRANGE — Marshall Letchworth has a disability most can’t see.
When the upstanding North Lenoir High School student roamed the schools’ hallways and was greeted by peers, many would have never known he was blind in one eye.
After an accident involving horseshoes in 2006, the 11-year-old Letchworth mangled the optic nerve and broke his orbital bone in his right eye. During a summer camp trip, he and friends were playing horseshoes late in the evening when one decided to throw the iron like a discus.
“I just saw a flash of light and warm … blood,” said Letchworth, now 18. “This is not a story for the squeamish. I knew something was wrong.”
As a preteen, he was unsure of the outcome after going to the hospital. When the doctor said it was impossible to piece together one million nerve fibers, Letchworth accepted his newly-impaired vision.
“I just look past it,” he said lightheartedly. “I joke about it all the time … It doesn’t bother me at all. I never really tell people because I don’t want them to be sympathetic.”
Letchworth hasn’t let the blindness hold him back from playing sports — basketball, soccer, and cross-country, with recreational lacrosse and hockey, socializing or graduating high school with good grades.
He walked the stage Saturday night with other North Lenoir graduates. The ceremony was held at the Lenoir Community College gymnasium.
“I’m sure it’s special for the all of (the students),” said Martha Wade, North Lenoir guidance counselor. “They’re graduating from high school and they’re beginning a new chapter in their lives.”
Letchworth said he was excited about graduating.
“I’m ready to be out in the world,” he said. “I don’t know how to describe it — I’m looking forward to taking that next step of independence.”
He has three younger sisters, and his mother, Tina Letchworth, is the principal of Frink Middle School. He was born and raised in La Grange and will attend ECU for biomedical engineering, a major he chose after touring Duke University’s School of Engineering.
“I feel like it’s where I’m meant to be,” Letchworth said about his college selection. “I feel like I can do something with my injury and hopefully, if all goes according to God’s plan, I can find something to fix my eye.”
His secondary subject, in which he will likely minor, is foreign language. During his tenure at North Lenoir, he took a keen liking to his Spanish class under teacher Jennifer Spence.
“He’s an extraordinary young man in today’s society,” she said. “He’s had adversities in his life, and he’s overcome those. He’s overcome all of the obstacles that life has thrown at him.”
She added she thinks he will be successful in his endeavors after high school.
Letchworth said it will be awkward attending classes with unfamiliar faces but has been warned people often don’t see their friends after graduating. He will surely continue his education without letting his condition affect him.
“I like to get the same treatment as everyone else,” he said. “I don’t want anyone to feel sorry for me.
Jessika Morgan can be reached at 252-559-1078 or at jessika.morgan@Kinston.com. Follow her on Twitter @JessikaMorgan.