Bryant’s Story
Bryant was able to take his first step because someone made a gift.
Take The First Step
Bryant Smith-Chambers’ success story began years before his issues with vision loss. A history of frightening ups and downs, uplifting relationships, and caring organizations has led him to a life of service to others.
From age 16 to 21, Bryant was homeless and living a pretty “rough” life. When he heard about Outreach, Inc., a youth social service organization that equips and empowers youth facing homelessness achieve stability and life transformation, everything changed.
“My case manager became my friend, my mentor, and in many ways my father. He and his family invited me to live with them for a year, and the experience led me to attend Indiana University to become a social worker like him.
My husband John is a teacher, and we both feel called to help children in need. We have fostered around 20 boys, adopted two, and are permanent foster parents to two more boys. It can be a real challenge, but it’s worth it,” he explained.
But nothing prepared Bryant for his greatest challenge. Three years ago, he was diagnosed with diabetes, which led to a series of life-changing events.
“I was told to lose 40-50 pounds, lower my A1C, exercise, and take my meds. I left his office committed to turn things around. Within four months, I lost 60 pounds, lowered my A1C by over half, exercised, and religiously took my medications. I did it all very quickly, but as I learned later, too quickly,” he said.
He began noticing small changes in his vision, and his optometrist told him he didn’t need glasses; he needed a specialist. He had a partially detached retina in his left eye and very poor vision in the right.
“The specialists explained that the blindness had likely come from reducing my A1C too quickly and recommended surgery that had an 80% success rate. I was only 35 years old, and in good shape, so I finally consented. The one-hour procedure turned into a four-hour surgery, leaving me with no vision in either eye. That was August of 2025.
Devastated, I reached out to my friends and fellow social workers for ideas on where to turn for help. Almost every message came back telling me to call Bosma,” he said.
Bryant reached out and took his first tour of Bosma the week of November 25. Ironically, that same week he finally got in to see a highly touted eye specialist in Cincinnati. She told him it was a long shot, but she could give him a series of injections that might help.
On January 5, 2026, Bryant began Bosma’s Rehabilitation program. He had already received several injections from the specialist and could now see some color and light, but she told him not to expect much more.
In late April, Bryant was sitting in class with instructor Bill Powell. For some reason, he looked down and saw a pamphlet in front of Bill. He actually saw the letter B. When Bill, who also had vision issues, picked up the pamphlet, he noticed something change on Bryant’s face. “Bryant, can you read that?” he asked. All Bryant could do was cry. And then Bill cried. Bryant could read the word “Bosma.”
Bryant is a realist. He knows his journey with vision loss is likely to take many twists and turns, but his one constant will always be Bosma.
“I considered going to Bosma and talked myself out of it so many times. I thought I couldn’t do the things Bosma talked about. I can’t go shopping. I can’t cook. There was no way I could succeed. But I did, and others can, too.
I completed my program and now volunteer three days a week at Bosma helping with tours and orientation. My dream is to work full time in Vocational Rehabilitation. I want to become a teacher, a leader, and a friend,” he concluded.