Blind Student-Athlete Inspires Peers, Coaches At Kennedale High School

KENNEDALE, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) - Despite being visually impaired, student-athlete Mariah Maryman is determined to accomplish a lot on and off the field.

Born four months premature and weighing only one-and-a-half pounds, were not the only challenges she has had to overcome.

Mariah was born with no vision in her left eye, and only a pin hole of sight in her right.

She says there were times when she wondered how she would function in life.

That is not a worry anymore.

Not only is she a member of the girls' track and cross country teams, she plays saxophone in the Kennedale High School marching band.

Mariah is able to see the contrast between the white lines and the asphalt when she competes in the 800 meters and the mile in track.

However, when she runs cross country, she is tethered to a teammate to help navigate her way up and down hills and to know what to avoid in the terrain.

Mariah says she wants to be an inspiration to others with a disability or impairment.

Her message is, "It's okay to ask for help." Also, "There's nothing that should stop you, if you believe in yourself."

Her mother, J'Vonnah, says she always prays for her daughter's safety, but Mariah has always had a fearless quality.

Her cross country coach, Phillip Irby, says Mariah's perseverance reminds him to never complain.

As a junior, Mariah has a 3.7 grade point average and wants to be a mechanical engineer.

She says she hopes to have a career building prosthetic limbs because wants to help people regain a sense of feeling normal after losing a piece of themselves.