It has been over a decade since they’ve seen each other, but a local entrepreneur and the childhood doctor that gave him the gift of sight reconnected this week.
Not only did he reconnect with his ophthalmologist, he is also planning to donate thousands of meals over the next several months to Children鈥檚 National Hospital in D.C.
鈥淥h my God, how did you find me,鈥� Dr. Marijean Miller said the moment she saw Stefano Marzano, the founder of Mighty Meals.
They met at the Children鈥檚 National Research and Innovation Campus.
鈥淲ith glasses, now I can see 20/20,鈥� Marzano told Dr. Miller.
When he was a baby, Marzano’s parents realized he was blind after looking at family photos.
Everyone else’s eyes showed red and his remained black. The flash of the camera will bounce back off the retina and sometimes make eyes appear red. But the way Marzano’s eyes stayed black signaled a potential issue with his eyesight.
When he was a small child, Marzano had numerous surgeries and procedures, including cataract surgery and a procedure to place new lenses in his eye. That all eventually allowed him to see.
鈥淚f it wasn’t for them, I don’t think I’d be here today with my own company,鈥� Marzano told 海角社区app.
Both of Marzano鈥檚 parents were at the reunion, hugging Miller and thanking the doctor for giving their son his sight back.
鈥淚 was just speechless. I really thought my son was going to be blind, and if it wasn’t for Dr. Miller, we would not be here, my son would not be able to see. So, for me, it’s a miracle, truly a miracle,鈥� Deb Marzano told 海角社区app.
Stefano Marzano co-founded Mighty Meals, a healthy meal delivery service, in 2015 and has expanded to deliver meals in dozens of states across the country.
The company has begun a huge push to fight food insecurity and has focused on Children鈥檚 National. They will be donating 10,000 meals over the next 10 months to patients and their families at the hospital.
鈥淚t鈥檚 really cool to come back as a previous patient that is now healthy, recovered, has vision and be able just to be a small part of the to the community and help give back and fight food insecurity,鈥� Stefano Marzano said.
He said the initial 10,000 meals is just the beginning, and he hopes to provide meals to Children鈥檚 National indefinitely.
鈥淭he first decade was about growth. The next decade from the company is about mission and purpose,鈥� Marzano said.
The Marzano matriarch added: 鈥淎s a mother, I’m super proud. I could not be prouder, and the fact that he now is coming full circle and giving back to the community, especially to Children’s Hospital, that’s huge. I think he’ll inspire a lot of children that are going through this, because it’s not an easy journey, but the result was amazing.鈥�
The Marzano family and Miller reminisced and talked about his care for the next hour before parting ways again and promising to keep in touch.
Miller on reuniting with her former patient: 鈥淚 know the people that I have taken care of, and there’s personal joy in that, but to hear the other side of the story, it’s just wonderful.鈥�
Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.
漏 2026 海角社区app. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.
