You're listening to a community story from Be My Eyes.


My name is Jay Blake. I am founder and president of Follow a Dream, a nonprofit corporation designed to educate children and adults on the power of positive thinking, self-determination, and teamwork through motorsports.


Roughly 28 years ago, I was a head mechanic for a transportation company and I had a forklift tire explode in my face, causing me to lose total sight, smell, and taste. At the age of 31 years old and not willing to give up on life, I decided to follow my dream and start an NH drag racing team and take my message of five tools for your life's toolbox to motivate kids and inspire kids and adults to get an education, have a positive attitude, and follow their dreams.


The speaking program, the five tools for your life's toolbox is based on a positive attitude, education, passion, determination, and teamwork. And with these five tools, you can accomplish your goals and your dreams. And that's what follow dream is based and built on is encouraging others to overcome the fear and use the positive attitude to move them forward to educate themselves to learn new technology like be my eyes embrace their passion whether it's music or racing or woodworking or whatever it may be the determination is never to give up even when times get difficult cuz they will get difficult.


I use Be My Eyes to do many things in daily life and at the race shop. I used it the other day to set my washing machine at home to do laundry cuz sometimes when you're at the race shop you can get dirty. I can use it to you do wiring to find wiring colors to find tools to find products. I can explain to the person on the other end what I'm looking for. So they don't necessarily need to understand what they're looking at. I can explain what I need them to tell me. So it works out very well even if somebody has no idea what they're looking at.


Like I've had people go, "What is that?" And I'm like, "That's a race car." And then I've had other people go, "Oh my god, you have a race car. That's cool." And they're familiar with what we do. So, you never know who you're going to get, and it's always interesting.


I had a um barbecue grill in a box that I brought into my shop so I could unbox it and put it together. And when I unboxed it or opened part of the box, I felt something odd and I wasn't really sure what it was, but it was kind of itchy. It was kind of odd. So, I called Be My Eyes and I'm like, "I've just opened this box. What What do you see?" And uh they're like, "Uh, I I'm not sure, but it looks like there's ants everywhere." I got the box outside and with with their help, I was there were ants everywhere. It was nasty. But uh that's probably the freakiest time I've ever used Be My Eyes. It was a very unique time for sure.


It's an incredible tool that can make things so easy. You know, like setting a washing machine or trying to figure out what color pants you've pulled out of the closet or your drawer. Um reading an envelope or mail. it it it is not too invasive. It it's very neutral and it's an incredible tool and make things very easy to work through a difficult time. So I I I would suggest somebody to take the step and try Be My Eyes and I think they'll be very satisfied and very happy they did it.


Don't ever be afraid to ask for help cuz whether you're a CEO of a enormous corporation or just somebody who's newly blind and trying to figure out life. None of us find success alone.


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