A sight for giving

Gig Harbor teen turns disability into triumph, brings senior project to community

Scott Turner

Special to the Gateway

Jordan Blevins didn’t have to search too hard to find the subject for his mandatory school project. In fact, the topic is close to his heart, and the resources he needs to fulfill his senior project are practically in his own backyard. Blevins, a peppy Gig Harbor High School senior, got the idea for his assignment last fall after reading “One Step At A Time,” a book written by a couple of Gig Harbor authors.

The book helps sick children manage the complexities of hospital experiences, and he said it’s also the perfect piece to rounding out his academic puzzle.

“I have been trying to figure a way to give back to the hospital that really helped me and to help educate my community at the same time,” Blevins said.

Blevins, 18, contacted authors Bradie Kvinsland and Jennifer Smith to set up a brainstorming meeting at his Cromwell-area home.

“I got more info on them and the reasoning behind the heart of their book,” Blevins said while sitting in his living room.

Blevins said Kvinsland and Smith, who are also health care professionals, unfolded the history of their book and spoke of their quest to use it as a tool to help others.

The authors impressed the young man instantly, but they had no idea what was coming when he reciprocated by telling them his story.

“Jordan became excited that he found something he was passionate about –– giving back and helping other families –– that he could incorporate raising money for these books into his senior project,” Smith said.

His enthusiasm was contagious. Blevins had a glimmer in his eye when he talked about his goals, Smith added.

The authors soon found out that Blevins’ senior project was going to be much more than an ordinary requirement for graduation. The soft-spoken teen and his mother, Patti Blevins, told the authors about why their book got him so fired up, he said.

They spoke of his struggles and triumphs of living with an optic glioma –– a brain tumor –– that is now in remission but has left him blind in his right eye.

It all started when Jordan was a baby.

“Jordan had just turned 2, and he was complaining that his head hurt all the time,” Patti Blevins said.

Blevins took her son to see a doctor and said nothing out of the ordinary was discovered.

Some three weeks later, when Jordan was sitting in a chair, Patti Blevins said she noticed that he wasn’t looking at her as he spoke.

“I said, ‘Jordan, when you’re talking to me, honey, you’ve got to look at me,’ ” she explained.

Jordan was looking at her, but his concerned mom said his right eye was wandering to the right.

It was October 1991, and this time they headed straight to an ophthalmologist. Jordan was diagnosed that day with an optic glioma, a rare, slow-growing, non-cancerous tumor.

A couple months later, Blevins had to have surgery to place a shunt in his skull to relieve pressure in his brain caused by the golfball-sized growth.

Unfortunately, the tumor sat inoperable, entangled in his optic chiasm — an area of the brain where delicate nerves responsible for sight cross each other, leaving him with limited options.

It eventually led to the loss of sight in his right eye and limited vision in his left.

After the diagnoses, a series of MRIs was performed and determined that his tumor was growing.

Children’s Hospital

Days before Jordan’s third birthday, doctors at Children’s Hospital and Regional Medical Center in Seattle tried to shrink his tumor with chemotherapy treatments, which he endured for about 18 months.

From then on, Blevins has had an affinity with the hospital, its clinicians — and especially the children who frequent the facility.

That love for kids and his experiences launched a calling for giving, Patti Blevins said.

“For about 10 years now, I have been collecting Beanie Babies and handing them out to the children at Children’s,” Jordan Blevins said.

He added that the kids appreciate his token of appreciation.

“The smiles on their faces make me feel just great, too,” he said.

“Their siblings are often going through the trauma there as well, so I give animals to everyone.”

About six years ago, he met a little girl at Children’s named Ella Trout, now 8.

Ella had the same optic glioma condition, only worse: Blevins said she became totally blind.

Ella’s mom, Karen Trout, said Blevins has been a blessing for her daughter, someone she truly relates to.

“Jordan is an amazing, compassionate person, well beyond his age,” Trout said.

“Jordan has become a real good friend of Ella and has visited her many, many times, and (he) has given not only stuffed animals, but his heart to her over the years,” Trout said.

She added that Blevins’ senior project is a resource of “hope and understanding” that will help many.

“If you know Jordan, it’s actually a typical thing for him to do, too,” Trout added.

School project

“At the age of 5, I began to realize that I was different than other children,” Blevins said.

He said it dawned on him that other kids had an easier time doing normal activities, such as reading or participating in sports.

As he grew older, his vision worsened. The tumor had also affected his pituitary gland, thrusting him into puberty (and stunting his growth) when he was about 10.

As a student, Blevins said that he had to put in extra effort and get assistance in the classroom just to keep up.

“I had to ask for large print copies of things and even request books on tape,” he said.

Blevins added that he also had to read more things word-for-word, rather than fluent sentence form.

“I ended up having to take projects home and finish them up there, while other kids already had their work done and were doing other things in class,” Blevins said.

“Nobody works harder than Jordan does,” Patti Blevins said. “He goes over and beyond, easily working twice as hard as any other kid in his class, just because it takes him longer to get through the work.”

Blevins must be doing something right: His overall grade-point average is about 3.85.

Being blind in one eye hasn’t slowed down his competitive spirit, either.

“I’ve played basketball, played soccer, golf, and I have bowled with a 200 average,” he said.

“I have actually played almost everything with this condition except for football,” he added with a beaming smile as he sorted through a huge pile of colorful Beanie Babies.

“Now I’m at a point in my life where I can give back and help others with my project.”

Blevins is actively raising money to buy “One Step At A Time” books and supply them to area children’s hospitals.

So far, he’s raised more than $11,500.

“I believe Bradie and Jen’s book will truly help others in understanding things about hospital life in real times of need,” Blevins said.

The book allows patients to cut through hospital jargon and get questions answered that may not have been otherwise, he added.

“Throughout my life, I have taken this devastating news not as a brick wall, but barely as a bump in the road of life,” Blevins said. “The medical experiences I have encountered growing up have not only defined who I am today, but who I hope to become in the future.”

Blevins accepts donations

For questions about Jordan Blevins’ senior project or to donate to his cause, call 253-310-5252.

More information about “One Step At A Time” at www.journeytowardhealing.com.

Scott Turner is a freelance writer for The Peninsula Gateway. He can be reached at scott@scottturnerphotography.com.