PARK CITY, Utah -- A Utah man who has spent years working as a nature photographer woke up five weeks ago unable to see out of his left eye.
David Schultz was told at a young age that he would probably lose his eyesight.
"Type 1 or juvenile diabetes is generally diagnosed early on, I was 13 at the time,” he said.
Blindness is a common complication of Type 1 diabetes, but Schultz didn’t let that stop him from pursuing his passion.
“I just decided when I got out of high school that I wanted to get out of town and see as much of the country as I could while I could still see things,” he said. “I picked up a camera along the way during one trip and ran into a professional on a movie beach in Washington state and found out that's what he did for a living, and I thought, well, that's pretty cool.”
Shultz’s photography pursuits have taken him all over the world, but he chose to make his home in Park City.
"I moved to Utah for the great landscape here, the diversity for a landscape photographer,” he said. “I don't know anyplace in the United States that would give you as much variety.”
But five weeks ago Schultz had his worst fears confirmed: He is losing his eyesight.
"If I close my right eye it's like looking through wax paper,” he said.
On top of that, Schultz’s therapy dog, Koda, passed away recently after dealing with health problems.
"We've been running numerous tests for about 4 months,” he said. “When I got back from my last trip to Antarctica she was just an entirely different dog, just very lethargic had a real bad, gagging cough.”
Schultz faces several surgeries, and Koda’s medical bill have also been pricey. Despite his struggles he said he is hoping to stay positive.
"I don't dwell on it,” he said. “I mean I've known that this has been a possibility... I'll go and do what I set out to do."
For more information about Schultz, visit his photography website and Facebook page.
