Wishes coming true for Cedar City family

When Nicole Rasmussen, 27, lost her sight to a rare bacterial infection four years ago, her dreams became even more vivid.

"When I first lost my eyesight I thought I couldn't be a mother anymore, or at least the kind of mother that I wanted to be," Rasmussen said in a telephone interview from her Cedar City home on Thursday. "Being a mother was my dream. That was the main thing I wanted to do."

Her dream came true, but not as she first envisioned it. Nicole and her husband, Brandon, married in September 1999. A year later, an ongoing health problem became more serious for Nicole, who endured lupus, chemotherapy and kidney failure before being diagnosed with a rare disorder caused by "nocardia" bacteria.

"The bacteria caused swelling in my brain, which hurt the optic nerves," she said. And just like that she was blind.

But Rasmussen also never dreamed that her circumstances would land her on a hit reality television show that grants wishes. Her story will be told tonight on "Three Wishes" airing at 8 p.m. on KSL-TV, Ch. 5.

Last August, host Amy Grant was in Cedar City filming a segment of the show, and Nicole's husband approached producers with his wife's story and her wish to become more independent.

"She's the best mom and she's pretty amazing, but she's been through a lot," said Brandon, who works for the Iron County School District as a computer network specialist. "I just wanted something special for her."

Nicole said giving birth to the couple's now 14-month-old daughter, Peyton, was definitely a dream come true, but full of challenges.

"I was a little nervous at first with each new thing, but I learned it's not so bad. People told me I would have to put a bell on Peyton to know where she was, but I don't. She's such a little talker. I always know where she is," Nicole said.

"About the only thing I really miss being able to do is play the piano. I never could play by ear and I needed the sheet music, so I really miss that."

Ron Gardner, president of the National Federation of the Blind of Utah, said Nicole faces an exciting future because of her positive nature.

"Most people in our society believe blind people can't do anything, and many blind people have that same misconception," said Gardner, a Bountiful attorney who has been blind since birth. "Our mission is to change what it means to be blind and to help individuals gain a more positive view of blindness."