Josiah Porter of the Southeast Team and his team mates are announced at the start of their game against New England during the opening day of the 2022 Little League World Series in South Williamsport, Aug. 17, 2022. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

A storm raged all around him and the darkness could have consumed Josiah Porter.

Just six years old, Porter suffered a devastating injury, losing vision in his right eye following an unfortunate accident. An excellent three-sport athlete who always was active, Porter found himself fighting an uphill battle as the storm gathered momentum. Instead of letting the winds of anger and disappointment overtake him, Porter fought on.

While some were focusing on what might not be, Porter was focused on what could be. So, despite the injury, Porter kept moving toward the light. And there he was Wednesday, playing for Nolensville, Tennessee, at the Little League World Series.

What started as a nightmare six years ago has become a dream realized in 2022. Porter was injured, but not broken. He would not let circumstance write his narrative. He is the master of his destiny and what a story Porter is telling.

“After it happened, I had a few thoughts about what if I can’t do this anymore? But I kept pushing and working hard and believing and staying positive,” Porter said. “I’m humbled by it. It’s like a dream. I really love baseball and when I was younger I always wanted to play here. I’m thankful for all God has taught me through this.”

Porter comes from a religious family. His father Brandon is a former pastor and his mother Dinah and four siblings all share a deep faith. That faith was severely tested in 2016, but now the family that prayed together and pulled closer together is now celebrating quite a thrill together.

It’s a long way from where the Porters were six years ago.

Brandon was picking Josiah up from a camp when a work truck pulled up and parked near the gym’s entrance. Inadvertently, the driver left his tool shelf hanging from the corner of his trailer. It was right at a child’s eye sight and was not marked off in any way. When Josiah walked out the door he collided with the shelf and the razor sharp corner edge cut into Josiah’s eye ball.

Josiah was rushed to the hospital as his brown eye was drained of its color. Three stitches were placed in that eye and the family anxiously awaited the news on whether Josiah would see out of it again.

“It was touch and go and the next morning we asked whether he would see again and the doctor said, ‘There’s no chance of that. We’re just trying to save the eye ball at this point,'” Brandon said. “We went to see him as he was waiting for surgery and Josiah had a patch on his eye. I told him everything was going to be all right and then I turned around and I cried.”

The injury also destroyed the lens in the eye and that is what allows the eye to focus. The goal was keeping the retina attached and they were able to do that at the top and middle. The only problem was it being detached at the bottom. This is what prevents Josiah from seeing out of that eye, but there is a chance that some day he could regain his vision. For now, the only thing he can see is a fraction of light.

It was a lot for any person to take, let alone a 6-year-old. But through the tears came hope. The family remembered the Bible passage Matthew 14:22-33. Peter was walking on water toward Jesus when he began focusing on the storm around him. Once he did, Peter fell into the water.

That passage provided comfort and strength. And almost immediately, Josiah showed that he would fight through the storm. He would focus on the good and not the bad. His journey from that hospital bed to Lamade Stadium is a testament of that belief.

“As a child you’d think he would be down in the dumps, but Josiah was like, ‘No, I’m going to do this and I’m going to do it great,'” Brandon said. “It’s just a miracle. As a family we were sitting there devastated and then we started thinking about what he can do instead of what he can’t do. We said he’s going to be amazing even if he can’t do some things.”

The thing is, there is little Brandon cannot do.

Shortly after leaving the hospital, the Porters were at a pool. Josiah could not go in, so he waded through the kids section as Brandon brought a little ball along. He asked Josiah if he could throw it and get it close to a corner section. Josiah did him one better and perfectly hit that exact location. Then he did it seven straight times. It was something small, but it was powerful and it told of things to come.

The community rallied around Josiah as well. Buoyed by his resolve and the entire town’s love, Josiah kept progressing. Soon, he was playing baseball again.

And those who didn’t know Josiah’s story likely were shocked upon learning he had suffered such a catastrophic injury. In a humbling, challenging game like baseball, Josiah is excelling where so many with two healthy eyes struggle. Whether pitching, playing defense or hitting, Josiah has been a rock on his teams at every level and his fingerprints are all over Nolensville’s Little League World Series run.

“He’s a very quiet, kind-hearted kid. He doesn’t want people to feel sorry for him because of that,” Nolensville Little League President David Jones said. “I couldn’t imagine having to deal with that but he’s a great kid who does a wonderful job.”

“It’s unbelievable. It’s incredibly difficult to hit a baseball with two eyes and being able to do it with just one and without the depth perception doesn’t even make sense to me,” Nolensville Manager Randy Huth said. “You would never know he can’t see out of the one eye. You would never even have a clue. He’s just a stud. That kid can play.”

Josiah proved it yet again in Warner Robins, excelling in all facets as Nolensville repeated as Southeast champions. In addition to making no errors and hitting .300, Josiah also struck out all nine batters he faced in a tone-setting opening win against Alabama. Then, with Nolensville trailing 2-0 and five outs from elimination against Virginia in the championship, Josiah smashed the hit of his life.

His one-out double ignited a comeback as Wright Martin scored him a batter later before Nolensville scored four times in the sixth inning and won, 5-2. That ending seemed like it came right out of a Hollywood script.

“It was really cool and exciting because we were talking about this before the season even started,” Josiah said. “The moment happened and I was really excited.”

Josiah is a super player, but his baseball success does not define him. The way he attacks life and lives it, does. A model student and friend, Josiah often will greet his parents with a hug if he senses they have had a rough day.

A fighter with a big heart, Josiah has stared into the darkness and created a whole lot of light. One could label him many ways, but role model might be the best. Whatever one’s age, adversity will strike. The measure of a person often is how he or she handles it and Josiah has proven himself a champion there.

“Josiah is very humbled that he can be an inspiration to others and if he’s able to help even a few people going through hard things, then he’s really happy to do so,” Brandon said. “He’s proof that if you don’t give up, don’t look at the storm and stay positive, you can do all sorts of positive things.

“He is a young man of integrity and we’re very thankful that Josiah is a special kid.”