The latest 60 minutes segment talks about Chris Downey, age 59, who is an architect and a consultant to architecture firms. After a successful brain tumor removal operation in 2008, he found himself blind two days later.
Downey chose to wait a few days for the stitches to be taken out before returning to work one month following his cancer surgery. The recession struck just nine months after he went blind, and he lost his job.
However, he learned that a nearby corporation was planning a rehabilitation clinic for veterans who had lost their vision and was soon hired as a consultant.
60 Minutes: Who Is Chris Downey? Blind Architect Wikipedia and Bio
Chris Downey is an architect and a consultant to architecture firms who became blind two days after a successful brain tumor removal operation in 2008. Despite his accomplishments after turning blind, Downey is not listed on Wikipedia.
Soon after he became sightless, Downey was appointed as a consultant by Smithgroup, JJR, and The Design Partnership, who were working on a rehabilitation center in Palo Alto for the Department of Veterans Affairs.
It was a strategic move on their part as it was similar to putting one of their blinded veterans on the design team. He could offer important insights that nearly no other architect could as he was newly blind and so could understand what the veterans were experiencing.
Downey rapidly made a name for himself as an architect’s consultant. The Duke Eye Center and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Vision and Rehabilitation Tower are examples of projects he worked on for the visually handicapped.
His job entails assisting not only the completely blind but also individuals with poor vision.
Chris Downey Age – How Old Is He?
Chris Downey, age 59, has been blind for 14 years after losing his sight at the age of 45. After first noticing an issue while playing catch with his ten-year-old son Renzo, he visited the hospital.
A tumor near his optic nerve was found to be the issue and it took nine and a half hours of surgery to remove it. His surgeon had warned him that absolute blindness was a possibility, but that he had never encountered it.
Rosa Downey, his wife, claimed that he could see when he initially awoke from surgery.
However, things began to go awry after that. The following day, half of his vision vanished. The next time he awoke, he could no longer see.
Chris Downey Net Worth Disclosed
Chris Downey’s net worth is unknown, however, he is estimated to be a millionaire with a fortune of over $1.2 million.
While the entry-level job for an architect can start from around $53K in San Francisco, CA, the average salary for a Senior Architect has been reported to be around $138,967 per year.
Despite being blind, his architectural practice is still prospering. Over the past decade, he has assisted in the building of galleries, parks, and colleges for the blind and visually handicapped.
In 2020, he assisted Thinc and Grimshaw in the designing of the Expo 2020 Dubai sustainability pavilion.