STILLWATER, Okla. – It is easy to take a lot of things for granted until they are on the brink of slipping away. Life’s adversities have a way of bringing people down, but for Michael Neustifter, the sudden battle with his eyesight would make a turn that would change his life forever.

Michael was born as a normal child, but his life started to go downhill at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. He had just lost two seasons when schools closed during the pandemic, and now his eyes were failing him just when he was about to get back in the game.

The Misdiagnosis

“There is this very, very rare condition called visual snow syndrome,” the doctor described. At first, the 21-year old could not understand his condition. To make it worse, it had no cure.

Now, to play baseball, your eyes play a very crucial part. How was he going to play his favorite game with his disappearing vision? While he was thinking about the end of his baseball career, his mother was dying inside. “Patience was never a great virtue of mine,” his mother said. However, when all you have to hold on to is hope, your faith is measured in ways you never thought you would reach, and you view life in a different dimension.

His problems started when he couldn’t make contact with the baseball. This was quite unusual for a sophomore who had hit a .299, having played for just two seasons. When his mother thought he was just having a bad day, it appears that was the beginning of the end of his baseball career.

At first, he thought it was something that could be fixed, but with numerous visits to the doctors and a handful of tests, he became even more confused. There were contradicting diagnoses, and when they finally found one, there was no way to correct it.

Despite his blurry vision, Michael continued to attend practice as usual even though he couldn’t play. Until this point, he had never thought of quitting until his coach, Landon Powell, suggested he take a medical redshirt.

His life suddenly flashed before his eyes. “That was like throwing in the white flag,” this is when it hit him that the sport he loved so much could have slipped away. ‘Oh my gosh, I might never play baseball again.’ he said to himself.

The unwavering support Michael received during this time is immeasurable. According to Angela, his mother, she is convinced there are no coincidences in life. After all the visits to different doctors, Michael’s saving grace was just five miles away.

The light at the end of the tunnel

“The first thing I noticed is he ran these different tests,” Michael said. “I had been to so many different doctors, and they all ran the same tests.” Doctor Shidlofsky finally made a diagnosis, and it wasn’t visual snow syndrome.

It appeared Michael had suffered a concussion that had not been treated properly. “I will have your vision back to where it was by the end of the summer. It may even be better than what it was,” doctor Shidlofsky said.

After having his hope shattered, he could barely believe it. His mom held his hand, and they shared a prayer in the car. Their fears had been put to rest as they now knew what was eating him up.

The following ten weeks proved hard with grueling exercises that made him nauseous as he tried to rebuild the pathways to his brain and eyes. During this time, he would play part-time for a local summer league team.

Michael made his comeback in the spring by hitting a .296 in the first seven games. His misdiagnosis has made him even eager to play at a professional level. He is willing to play even as an undrafted free agent.

He hopes people can find hope in his story. People he doesn’t know called him to encourage him for keeping the faith and never giving up. In times when it is hard to keep the faith, some situations will help you restore it.

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