You’re never too old to get giddy when you experience something new.
William Reed is a bodybuilder from Batavia, New York. Born colorblind, the 66-year-old father had only ever seen the world through a “muddy” lens of browns and blacks, but one special gift from his family changed his outlook forever.
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Bill’s wife Pam Reed and his sister, Paula Hanson, were the masterminds behind the 66th birthday gift that moved this tough bodybuilder to tears. This year they decided to pool their money to buy Bill one big present. They’d talked about doing it for many years, and since Bill and Pam would soon celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary they decided that this was the year.
Paula spearheaded the effort to buy Bill a pricey pair of Enchroma glasses. The specialized glasses have color-correcting lenses to help the colorblind see the entire spectrum of the rainbow. As Bill stood on the steps of his house his family handed him the box and told him he’d never guess what’s inside. Boy, were they right!
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The second he puts the glasses on Bill goes utterly silent. He takes several moments to register what he’s seeing: the green of the trees, the blue of the sky, the yellow of the flowers by his door. As the realization dawns on him he becomes more and more emotional!
Bill starts to choke up as he sees the world in color for the first time. Pam said she was surprised that her normally tough husband was so excited and visibly moved by these incredible glasses. “He has a very hard tough outer shell so for him to break down and cry and get emotional, was pretty emotional to me and my girls,”she said.
“When he put them on, it was extremely emotional for us all because we knew by his reaction, something changed for him in his sight because he described the colors as really, really bright and being neat! With the glasses he was able to see the different shades of the leaves on the trees.”
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Pam and Bill were both grateful to Paula for finding the glasses, and now that Bill can see properly they were more excited than ever to plan a big trip for their anniversary. Being able to see colors opens up a whole new world of beauty and wonder for Bill!
“We are excited to take him to Letchworth State Park here in NY for him to see the color of leaves changing, the brilliance of lights on a Christmas tree, and the aw of a rainbow across the sky. Many sights that most of us take for granted,”said Pam.
Just a few months later the whole family took a trip to the Bahamas, and you’d better believe that Bill wore his new glasses!
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Imagine seeing the turquoise waters of the Caribbean for the very first time at age 66? What a wonderful and thoughtful gift! Bill’s reaction was just too cute for words, and it seems that the excitement of seeing colors still hasn’t worn off. Congratulations, Bill!
Watch this tough bodybuilder getting choked up over the beautiful world around him in the video below, and don’t forget to share this sweet reaction with others.
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