Blind Student-Athlete Inspires Peers, Coaches At Kennedale High School

By Keith Russell?(CBSDFW.COM)?

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Kennedale, TX – Despite being visually impaired, student-athlete Mariah Maryman is determined to accomplish a lot on and off the field. {{more: continue …}}

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Born four months premature and weighing only one-and-a-half pounds, were not the only challenges she has had to overcome.

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Mariah was born with no vision in her left eye, and only a pin hole of sight in her right.

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She says there were times when she wondered how she would function in life.

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That is not a worry anymore …

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Not only is she a member of the girls? track and cross country teams, she plays saxophone in the Kennedale High School marching band.

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Mariah is able to see the contrast between the white lines and the asphalt when she competes in the 800 meters and the mile in track.

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However, when she runs cross country, she is tethered to a teammate to help navigate her way up and down hills and to know what to avoid in the terrain.

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Mariah says she wants to be an inspiration to others with a disability or impairment.

Her message is, ?It?s okay to ask for help.? Also, ?There?s nothing that should stop you, if you believe in yourself.”

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Her mother, J?Vonnah, says she always prays for her daughter?s safety, but Mariah has always had a fearless quality.

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Her KHS cross country coach, Phillip Irby, says Mariah?s perseverance reminds him to never complain.

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As a junior, Mariah has a 3.7 grade point average and wants to be a mechanical engineer.

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She says she hopes to have a career building prosthetic limbs because wants to help people regain a sense of feeling normal after losing a piece of themselves.?

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