Wayne with the cake he baked for wife Jen’s birthday
their children Zachary and Natalia
Wayne and Jen
There was a moment that marked a real turning point in dad-of-two Wayne Vowden’s life: carefully pulling a perfectly baked and piped victoria sponge out of the fridge and presenting it to the astonishment of his wife and two children. It wasn’t the first time Wayne had baked for them, but it was the first time since he’d lost 99 per cent of his vision. The poignant moment reduced the whole family to happy tears.
Wayne’s vision had gradually reduced to one tiny spec of sight in his left eye, which he describes as ‘seeing things through a straw against a glare of light,’ following a lifelong progression of Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP), a rare genetic disorder that involves the breakdown and loss of cells in the retina.
‘I’ve never seen my daughter’s full face but I’m still one of the lucky ones,’ says Wayne. ‘RP can take your sight as early as eight years old, yet I saw my wife walk down the aisle and my children being born.
‘The impact on my life, however, was widespread.