George Guerrero, Jr.
Brain Tumors
George is a tangle of energy and delight. His smile can light a room and his solemn gaze belies his age. He is quiet now, but that doesn’t fool his father, who says at school George is known as the best talker.
Born with breathing problems, George spent his first 17 weeks in the hospital. His breathing improved but on subsequent visits to the hospital tumors were discovered in his brain. Little by little he began to lose his sight. Three years later he lost his vision completely.
He and his father make quite a pair. On Father’s Day George always has chocolates for his father and on his father’s birthday he presents him with a letter, written in braille. George reads him the letter. The love between them fills their home.
When he was photographed he was told he looked 14. This caused great delight in George. “Really! I look 14?” At 11, this was quite the compliment. “But I’m not quite a teenager. I will be soon though. Time flies. Soon enough I’ll be 12 and then I’ll be 13.”
Asked if he keeps his father out of trouble, he responds: “Yeah. Well really he’s the one who’s supposed to keep me out of trouble since he’s the one in charge. Right, Pop?”
A happy boy who loves games and travel and math, George likes to discover things. He also loves all kinds of music and is especially fond of rap.
George asks his father if one day he will be able to see. “I say you know, I hope. I’d give my life for that but what can I do? I say well, we just have to live on what we have and be happy with it. So maybe one day something better is coming up.”
What George Sees
The overall background is a smooth, solid black. Within the black field are small, light-green specs that vary in shape, size, and orientation. Some fade in and out while others appear and disappear more quickly. Shadows are sometimes present as well. Due to Charles Bonnet Syndrome, a cartoon-like image appears over the background. It’s not a recognizable cartoon but rather an image composed of eyes, arms, legs, and other things wrapped around each other in something resembling a football tackle.