True Blood star Deborah Ann Woll recently revealed that she’s been hiding a secret heartache – her boyfriend is going blind.
Deborah – who plays sexy teenage vampire Jessica Hamby on the hit HBO series – disclosed in an interview that her boyfriend Edward "EJ." Scott suffers from rare eye disease Choroideremia (CHM).
The condition erodes the peripheral vision until victims eventually see life as if they’re looking through a drinking straw. And then, eventually, that small tunnel of vision closes into blackness.
E.J., 33, who was diagnosed with CHM in 2003, still has some vision and only recently began to use a cane to get around.
"He is so proactive about preparing for this inevitability in the face of something so scary," said Deborah, 24. "I can only be awed by his strength and commitment."
Despite his worsening condition, E.J. works tirelessly to raise awareness about CHM and to also raise funds for research to find a cure.
With Deborah’s help, he attracted the attention of a Web site dedicated to all things True Blood. E.J., who’s also trying to lose weight, is seeking donations by having fans pledge a certain amount for every pound he loses.
"He raised $900 in donations. He’s very dedicated," said Cory MacDonald, executive secretary of the CHM Research Foundation (www.choroideremia.org). MacDonald told The ENQUIRER that research into CHM is getting results and "we are literally within two years of applying for human trials" to test a cure.
Deborah, whose lustful vampire character has won her legions of fans, said E.J.’s valiant struggle helps her cope with her own medical ailment – Celiacs disease, a severe intolerance to wheat products that causes painful intestinal problems.
"Basically no bread, pasta, cookies, crackers, etc," said Deborah who added she feels "as though I honor E.J. by being equally as strong in my much less life-changing predicament with Celiacs."
