Dave Pearson

Completely blind, yeah.

And it was due to the infection.

Something behind the eyes got infected and just basically cut off the communication between my eyes and my brain.

And, yeah, so I do remember I have this lovely memory whenever I go past somewhere that's mown grass that's been really long and it's sort of wet.

So you get that little sour smell from, you know, freshly cut grass.

And it brings me laying in that hospital bed not being able to see anything straight to my mind.

It's a nice experience.

Yeah.

Apparently when I did get my eyesight back and I went back to that hospital, I remember there was a big field right beside it.

So they would run a tractor around and mow it when it got too long.

A couple of months I think in total.

Obviously no use just keep me in hospital so they sent me home with a pair of sunglasses on and you know with some treatment for mum to do every morning I would wake up and my eyes would be closed with scabs over the top of both my eyes and she would soak them off in some warm antiseptic water and

Yeah, off I'd go for the day, sitting around not doing much.

And I remember not being that stressed about it other than not being able to do anything.

I was, you know, I was only five-year-old.

So kids get through things a lot easier than adults do.

And that's another thing I've learned, you know, since my shark attack.

Kids are so resilient and they can get over things really well.

No, not at all.

I guess, you know, growing up in the western suburbs of Sydney when we came to Australia, my dad would travel for work.