Cayden Bell survives serious eye injury

ORE CITY, Texas – On June 5, Cayden Bell was fishing with his family shortly after graduating from high school in Ore City when he sustained a pretty serious injury.

While preparing for the trip, Bell was practicing throwing and got his weight caught in a tree. He thought it had come loose and tried to pull it out. It fell hard and hit him right in the left eye.

“And then it just came back and hit me in the eye. I didn’t even see it coming, it just hit me,” Bell said.

Bell suffered a torn iris and pupil, a hole in the retina and a severe cataract, among other injuries. Since then, he has had one successful operation and three more are planned for this summer in Houston. Throughout it all, Cayden has kept his head up and refused to dwell on the negative aspects of his situation.

“I’m very proud of him. That’s one thing we’ve always taught him and he always tells you: we don’t give up. There are hard days, there will be hard days, but he never gives up, he always keeps pushing forward. So I couldn’t ask for a better result from him, I mean, he makes me really proud,” said Cayden’s father James Bell.

The last two weeks have certainly been a rollercoaster for Cayden, but he has maintained a really positive attitude throughout the entire process and he attributes that to the support he has received from both his family and his faith.

“And everything I’ve been through, all the doctors that talk to me, everyone that talks to me about what I’ve been through, they say, ‘It’s a miracle.’ And every time something happens… you know, I have a big family, and with all the family that I have, every time something happens, I get prayers from all sides. I feel like God and my family have really, really helped me through everything I’ve been through,” Bell said.

A major goal of Bell’s next surgery will be to replace and repair the damaged ligaments in his eye. He will always experience some vision loss, but if the surgery goes well, Bell will be able to regain most of his vision.

Bell advises ensuring safety before you pick up your fishing rod for your first fishing trip this summer.

“I would say wear glasses, or at least be very careful if you don’t wear glasses, because you never know what’s going to happen,” Bell said.

If you would like to donate to the Bell family and support Cayden in his recovery, you can find a GoFundMe campaign here.