Perhaps the sharpest message is a slightly blurred one.
Tonight we will blur our logo at the World Darts Championship to highlight the rare eye condition suffered by semi-finalist Ryan Searle.
Following his quarter-final success over world No. 5 Jonny Clayton on New Year’s Day, Searle spoke candidly about the visual challenges he faces at the Oche due to Autosomal Dominant Optic Atrophy (ADOA) – and how he’s determined to raise both funds and awareness.
The genetic eye problem means he is sometimes unable to see where his darts land on the board, and while his son doesn’t not suffer as badly as himself, Searle hopes a cure can be found for his daughter, who is registered as visually impaired, so she can drive a car when she’s older.
The former window cleaner, nicknamed ‘Heavy Metal’ due to his love of the music genre, has helped raise more than £15,000 for the Cure ADOA Foundation, and as the tournament sponsor we want to show our support with a visual campaign we hope will help Ryan’s cause.
The signature ‘180 boards’ held aloft by fans will all feature our logo in blurred writing, along with tables on the stage and our digital signage at Alexandra Palace also being distorted to demonstrate how Ryan’s vision can be impaired.
The change to the Ally Pally branding will appear during Searle’s debut Paddy Power World Darts Championship semi-final match tonight at Ally Pally against defending champion Luke Littler.
In addition to being taken aback by Ryan’s inspirational words, we have also pledged to match the £15,000 raised so far for the Cure ADOA Foundation.
Hedy Smit-Wigchers, a board member at the Cure ADOA Foundation, said: “We’re so proud of everything Ryan has achieved so far at Ally Pally. The vital funds and awareness he’s helped raise for the Cure ADOA Foundation will have a life-changing effect for thousands of people. Whatever happens tonight, Ryan is our hero.”
Ryan plays at the top of his sport while managing this serious eye condition, and inspires other with his condition to not allow it to hold them back. We thought the clearest way to acknowledge that was by blurring our logo.
Perhaps the sharpest message is a slightly blurred one.
About Autosomal Dominant Optic Atrophy:
ADOA is a very rare hereditary eye disorder in which there is an energy deficiency in the optic nerve cells, causing them to break down. This is due to a mutation in the OPA1 gene. ADOA causes visual impairment and sometimes even blindness.
For more information here to the ADOA website.
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