He Was Assaulted And Left Blind, But Now His Tongue Is Helping Him See

September 28, 2011 started out like any other day for father-of-two Andy. As he left his house, he saw his sons playing football in the front yard. It was the last time he’d ever see them — with his eyes, that is.

That afternoon, an unknown person assaulted Andy and attempted to beat him to death. He survived, but the attack damaged his optic nerves. Doctors informed Andy that he’d be blind forever.

Today, however, he is using his tongue to see again. Yes, you read that right, his tongue. With the help of a device called a BrainPort, Andy was able to see his family for the first time in five years, simply by placing a small, buzzing “lollipop” in his mouth.

When Andy woke up in the hospital, he had no memory of the brutal attack that nearly claimed his life. All he knew was that he could no longer see.

As Andy said in an interview with Upworthy, “I thought to myself, ‘Whatever. You’ll just open me up, reattach the wires, and lights come back on again.’ But that wasn’t going to happen. [The doctor] put his hand on my shoulder and said, ‘I’m sorry, Andy.'”

Andy was devastated, but with the help of his devoted wife, Christy, and two sons, he slowly adjusted to life without eyesight. Without a doubt, the hardest part was not being able to see his beloved family.