Kaylee Muthart, a bright and ambitious young woman from Anderson, South Carolina, made headlines when she revealed the reason behind an incident that left her blind. Once a straight-A student and a member of the National Honor Society, Kaylee’s life began with dreams of studying marine biology.
At 17, midway through her junior year, Kaylee made the difficult decision to leave school. Between working long hours to save for a car and struggling with a heart arrhythmia, her grades slipped. Not wanting to tarnish her academic record, she decided to take a break from school, hoping to eventually secure a college scholarship.
Early Challenges and Troubled Beginnings
By the time she turned 18, Kaylee started drinking socially and smoking marijuana. Despite addiction running in her family, she consciously avoided hard drugs. However, one evening at 19, she smoked marijuana that had seemingly been laced with another substance, possibly cocaine or methamphetamine. This experience left her feeling closer to God, a sensation that profoundly impacted her.
The betrayal of this incident caused Kaylee to quit her job and distance herself from the friend involved. Unable to find her footing, she avoided returning to school and began grappling with feelings of loneliness.
Downward Spiral into Addiction
Struggling to cope with her emotions, Kaylee started using Xanax to calm her mind. After a difficult breakup, she sought solace in drugs, eventually trying methamphetamine for the first time. The drug induced severe hallucinations, leading her to harm herself by picking at of the physical scars, Kaylee began skipping work and ultimately lost her job.
Her dependency on substances deepened when she turned to ecstasy. Fueled by a distorted interpretation of religious texts, she believed methamphetamine would strengthen her connection with God. Over time, her use of the drug escalated, progressing to snorting and injecting it.
Despite her mother’s desperate attempts to get her help, including trying to have her committed, Kaylee reassured her family she was in control. However, her addiction consumed her, and her mother’s efforts were hindered by legal obstacles.
The Tragic Morning That Changed Everything
One morning, after taking a dangerously large dose of methamphetamine, Kaylee experienced a vivid hallucination. She believed she had to make an extraordinary sacrifice to save the world. While wandering along a railroad track, she became convinced that gouging out her eyes was the only way to fulfill this mission.
In a dazed state, she used her fingers to remove both eyes. Her cries of “I want to see the light!” were heard by a local pastor, who intervened and restrained her. Paramedics arrived soon after and airlifted her to Greenville Memorial Hospital.
Rebuilding Her Life and Finding Hope
Doctors performed emergency surgery to remove what remained of her eyes, preserving her optic nerves to prevent infection. During her hospitalization, Kaylee began her journey toward recovery. She was transferred to a psychiatric facility, where she was officially diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
Now blind, Kaylee describes life as more challenging but remains determined to turn her life around. She is optimistic about her future and still dreams of pursuing marine biology.
Reflecting on her journey, Kaylee says, “It took losing my sight to get me back on the right path, but from the bottom of my heart, I’m so glad I’m here.”