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Losing vision but Sagar Baheti's vigour intact for marathon of life

New Delhi: His life was turned upside down by progressive loss of vision but Sagar Baheti refused to let that become a hurdle in the pursuit of his sporting dreams, which range from running marathons to learning cricket.
Baheti, now 32, was diagnosed with Stargardt disease, a rare genetic disorder that causes progressive deterioration of the central portion of the retina, in 2012.
But instead of resigning to his fate, he took to marathon running and became the first visually impaired Indian to run in the prestigious Boston Marathon in April. He is set to compete in the Delhi Half Marathon on November 19 in the Champions with Disability section.
An industrial engineering graduate, Baheti is not entirely blind but his vision will continue to deteriorate and he would not be able to see past a few centimetres in future.
As of now, he can see up to a distance of one meter.
"My doctor told me my eyesight will deteriorate progressively. That was in 2012 and by 2014 there was a lot of degeneration and that forced me to change my lifestyle in many ways. It became more difficult to read, drive and do a lot of normal activities. Life changed for me but I will not curse my fate," Baheti said.
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