Wife noticed her husband sent their son to nursery school in mismatched shoes — then a heartbreaking realization hit
Weekday routines rarely leave room for second guesses, especially when young children are involved. At the school gates in Pwllheli, a mother named Danni Johnson noticed something odd about her son Oaklen as he walked ahead with his father. He was wearing shoes that clearly belonged to two different pairs. Andy Johnson, Oaklen’s dad, stood nearby, unaware of the mistake, as reported by the BBC on January 31, 2026. Danni noticed the mistake at the school gates and made sure Oaklen went inside as usual, but the image stayed with her. Andy, a father of two, had always been careful and hands-on. By January 2024, small moments like this began to carry more meaning, even before the full reason became clear.
Andy Johnson was born with retinal dystrophy, a genetic condition that causes gradual sight loss. For most of his life, it showed as tunnel vision and had little impact on his daily routine. He worked, raised his children, and ran a water sports center with Danni without seeing his eyesight as a barrier. The mismatched shoes incident in 2024 was the first clear sign that something had changed. Andy later said Oaklen had gone to nursery wearing shoes of “a different style and completely different colors.” Danni only noticed when she reached the school gates. Until then, they had described Andy’s condition as “never being a thing,” but as Danni put it, “then it just hit us.”
As Andy’s vision worsened, his confidence dropped quickly. “When my eyesight started to deteriorate, I stopped doing things,” he told the outlet. The 35-year-old was told his condition had progressed and could not be treated. Andy recalled sitting in a hospital waiting room in January 2024 and telling doctors, “I can’t see out of my right eye anymore.” The response felt blunt, as if the outcome was expected.
Even though it was inherited, Andy's parents did not have sight loss themselves. Registered blind and with limited guidance available, Andy struggled with avoidance anxiety. “I wouldn’t cross a road, I wouldn’t take the kids to school,” he said. Danni added that being told it felt like a grieving process helped explain the emotional weight they were carrying. Coping with sight loss was a major mental challenge for Andy.
The impact spread across the whole family. Their business roles changed, with Andy moving into a managerial position while Danni trained to take over tasks he could no longer do. “Something had to change as it was going to ruin our marriage,” Danni said honestly. Progress came after Andy agreed to cane training and later received his guide dog, Pearlie. Andy remains active in water sports, and the family business now offers training programs designed to include people living with sight loss. Their sons adapted too.
“They’ve actually said it’s a form of trauma,” Danni said, but added that the children were “amazing.” Andy noted how naturally they help him now, “[They] hold my hand without thinking about it.” The family plans carefully, even for simple outings. “We are a normal family, but we do have to pedal a lot harder than everyone else to achieve the same,” Danni said, but they continue to share their story to show that life can still be rich, even when it changes. "We want to show people you can still have a family and a fulfilled life," commented Danni. Their story went on to inspire a fundraiser for Guide Dogs UK, with schools and nurseries participating in an odd-shoes day in October 2024.