Interviews

Toni Hatton

Author/Freelance Writer

He’s Preparing You Productions

hpyproductions@tonihatton.com

www.tonihatton.com

Gwynn Oak, MD

Flyer (PDF)

"This is not happening! There’s been a mistake!” These were some of Toni Hatton’s thoughts as she sat in the doctor’s office on Saturday, October 17, 1987. A visit to an Ophthalmologist revealed that Toni’s only son, who was ten months old at the time, had Retinoblastoma in both of his eyes. Retinoblastoma is a disease that causes the growth of malignant tumors in the retinal cell layer of the eye. According to Harvard’s Digital Journal of Opthamology, Kevin’s condition, Bilateral Retinoblastoma , is very rare, it is the most common eye tumor in children, and the third most common cancer overall affecting children.

As Toni, age 19 at the time, and her husband of approximately two years, Kevin, heard the words—“and he’s going to be blind”--- she thought she was going to lose her mind. Thank goodness, she didn’t. The true story of the Hatton family’s spiritual journey of shock, despair, and triumph is chronicled in her first book, Don’t Be Afraid: He’s Preparing You, which she self-published this past February.

Like many women, she remembers how happy she was throughout her pregnancy, even when the morning sickness and the migraine headaches came. “ I felt privileged having a life living and moving around inside of me. The tight clothes or the occasional stumbles didn’t bother me. I anticipated his arrival.” From changing her eating habits to reading and talking to her stomach every day, Toni had felt that her life dream was becoming a reality—becoming a mother. Her son, Kevin, which means kind and gentle, was her heart. “When God wants to get our attention, he tugs at our heart,” shares Hatton, now a homeschooling mother of 3 other children, Kristen, Kristopher and Karrington. She felt unprepared for the challenges of raising a child with a sight-impairment, except for one little thing---faith.

“I could have given up and felt bad for myself or even worse, felt bad for my son, but I knew that God would carry me and guide me every step of the way and He did.” After Lil Kevin, called this because he’s Daddy’s namesake, became school age, the Hatton’s chose to send him to their neighborhood public school. While actively seeking out resources to help her son receive the best education possible, Toni came across the National Federation for the Blind (NFB). The agency provides programs for and advocates for persons with sight-impairments from ages 0 through 100. The support provided by The National Federation of the Blind, led Hatton, who dreamed of becoming a professional singer to channel her passion into being an advocate for children with special needs. Toni now offers her support and encouragement to several organizations designed to meet the needs of parents with special needs children: Yes I Can International (www.yesicaninternationl.org), The National Federation of the Blind (www.nfb.org), and Johns Hopkins Hospital. “ I chose to write this book because I know some people don’t have the support, the encouragement, and the faith that I have. I hope my book gives them some of that so that they too can make it through whatever life has in store for them,” states Toni.

Now, Lil Kevin, 19, is living independently in Colorado and has experienced life as any young adult. He has increased in his confidence and his independence through cooking, learning his way around a new city, and meeting many different people.  Like other reflecting parents with thoughts about their decisions and their child’s future, Hatton has no regrets through this journey. “My desire was to bring the world to his fingertips and now that he is an adult, I feel like I did just that.” For more information, to schedule a speaking engagement or book signing, and to read an excerpt from her book, please visit her website at www.tonihatton.com.

Toni Hatton was interviewed on the show on July 21, 2006