Tim Cordes
Medical Doctor

Visual impairment: Blind

"Things are only impossible until they are done." Tim Cordes is a living proof to this statement.

Tim Cordes is blind. However, this did not stop him from mastering Jujitsu (a genre of Martial Art) and water skiing. Besides composing wonderful music, Tim shows a keen interest in the subject of Bio Chemistry as well. Any one of these accomplishments would be impressive, but together they are dazzling.

By the time Tim was 28 years old, he added a new lustre to his gold-plated resume, with the title 'Doctor'.

Tim, who graduated from the University of Wisconsin U.S.A. in 2005, is one of the few blind people to have earned an MD. He is also a Valedictorian of Notre Dame University with a Bachelor of Science in biochemistry.

In a world where skeptics always seem to be saying, "Stop, this isn't something a blind person should be doing," Tim earned a MD, and overcame such barriers.

Even when The University of Wisconsin Madison accepted him, Tim knew there was going to be some 'healthy skepticism. But he added, "The people I worked with were top notch and really gave me a chance."

Dr. Philip Farrel, the dean of the medical school was worried initially about Tim's performance in the hospital settings but he soon realized, the student was extremely capable and determined. His keen sense of touch, precision, pragmatism and above all optimism helped him overcome any challenges that came his way.

In the words of Sandy Roof, a nurse practitioner who worked with Tim as part of a training program, "He was confident, very professional, he was respectful and a great listener."

Without sight, Tim learns how to identify clusters of spaghetti-thin nerves and vessels, study X-rays and read patient charts. He also learnt to examine slides showing slices of the brain, diagnose rashes and a lot more as a part of his training.

Technology has played a large role in making Tim a successful Doctor. Tim uses a variety of special tools, including raised-line drawings, a computer that simultaneously reads into his earpiece whatever he types, a visual describer and a portable printer to write notes for patient charts. Doctor Tim uses a hi-tech device called an Optacon that has a small camera with vibrating pins that help his fingers feel images.

Doctor Tim Cordes is a busy man, besides spending 10 to 12 hours a day in the lab studying for his PhD; he also carried the Olympic torch when it made its way through Wisconsin in 2002. He runs four miles twice a week and also contributes to the society by giving some motivational speeches.

Doctor Tim Cordes also found time to be in love and is now happily married to a medical student.

As humble as he is, Tim attributes his success to the entire team of Doctors and professors, who guided him through the way and above all had faith in him.

Doctor Tim Cordes success story is not only an inspiration to the blind but to anyone who wants to achieve.