The blind adventurer has never let his disability defeat his ambitions — now he’s a role model for daughter Taylor, who inherited his condition, writes Jo Knowsley.
Gerrard Gosens has the whole nation watching when he appears each week on Dancing With The Stars — but his 11-year-old daughter Taylor doesn’t need to see his performance to be inspired.
Like lots of little girls, Taylor adores her father, but this pair have an additional bond. Taylor was born with Gerrard’s congenital eyesight condition, and has just four per cent vision.
Gerrard, 39, has refused to let his blindness defeat him.
He has co-piloted aircraft, competed in three Paralympic Games and remains determined to conquer Mount Everest after a failed attempt in 2005.
But the day Taylor was born in October 1997, he strongly felt there was something wrong with her eyesight. When his fear was confirmed, he almost collapsed with shock.
“We didn’t really know, and nor did the doctors, how much my blindness might be hereditary,” Gerrard says. “Our son Jordan, now 14, was born with no eyesight problems. And when Taylor arrived, doctors thought she was also fine.
“But when I reached down towards her she grabbed one of my fingers and pulled it to her face. I had a really sick, sinking feeling, because, even thoughI couldn’t see them, I knew immediately there was something wrong with her eyes. When doctors later confirmed it, I had to clutch the bedside railings, because I thought I was going to pass out.”
Gerrard and his wife Heather, 43, who heads a special education unit for disabled kids in Brisbane, always wanted a large family. But after Taylor, they were so scared of producing another blind child they decided to have no more children.
Taylor has inherited Gerrard’s disability, but also his dogged determination. Her dad admits they share a special bond.
“Yes, I suppose it’s because I know the challenges Taylor will face as she goes through life in a sighted world,” Gerrard says.
“By doing Dancing, I want to show her, and all young people, that they can overcome obstacles — whatever they are — to achieve their dreams.”
For the full story see this week’s Woman’s Day, on sale July 27, 2009.
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