Dec 15, 2023 By Melissa Gibson 3 min read

Trevor Popeck has a 4.88 GPA, he’s played basketball, soccer, baseball. and today, is a starting lineman on the offensive and defensive line for the Chartiers-Houston High School football team.

What many might be surprised to learn is that he had a rocky start in life.

At age 3, Popeck was diagnosed with a juvenile cataract in his left eye. His vision was 20/5000 compared to the typical 20/20 vision.

His family learned that the diagnosis wasn’t all that uncommon. In fact, 25% of the population have been diagnosed with something similar, which can be fixed by surgical intervention.

The surgery was a success but Popeck still had a long road ahead of him.

Despite doctors and family anticipating Popeck’s difficulty in the classroom or on the sports field, he persevered.

“Without our insurance, Trevor would have been blind in one eye. There would be no driving, and difficulty with schoolwork, but the results of the surgery were amazing and by the time he was in second grade, I didn’t even bring it up,” said Popeck’s mom, Laurie.

In all areas of life Popeck thrived, as did his left eye with the needed surgery and doctor’s care. He is cleared to drive and now boasts 20/200 eyesight.

Knowing what the surgery did for him, thanks to the health insurance plan his parents had, Popeck wanted to help others that might be less fortunate.

“I’ve always wanted to help other people. Not everyone can afford the surgery and we were very fortunate,” Popeck said.

In fact, according to the foundation named after Trevor, the average cost for children’s eye surgeries is between $1,000 and $15,000 without insurance. Even with insurance some families pay 10% to 15% of the cost.

He started the Trevor Popeck Foundation in January 2023 to raise funds to help offset the costs for those with various eye related ailments.

The mission became a family affair. Popeck’s parents Steve and Laurie serve on the board of the nonprofit, and a family friend, Jenna Davis, is responsible for fundraising and grants.

The team is looking for businesses, organizations and other partnerships, and fundraising opportunities as well as talking to those in the blind or seeing impaired community to learn what the needs might be.

In addition to raising funds, Popeck’s hope is to serve as support for families working through their own child’s diagnosis, providing resources and connections they could have used 13 years ago.

As the face of the foundation, one might think it puts a lot of pressure on Popeck to succeed, but he doesn’t mind.

“I want kids to know that you can face your challenges and still become successful. We can’t let things get in our way,” Popeck said.

The Trevor Popeck Foundation can accept tax deductible donations through PayPal and Venmo.

Visit https://www.thetrevorpopeckfoundationinc.org/ for more information.