Marlene “The Queen” Davis

BY DWAIN HEBDA  PHOTOGRAPHY BY NOVO STUDIO

After four years of military service in the U.S. Navy, during which time she suffered a traumatic head injury that affected the mobility on one half of her body and eroded her sight, Marlene “The Queen” Davis came home and locked the door on the rest of her life.  

“When I got out, I was kind of denying the blindness until I had to go to a doctor because my eyes were starting to leak fluids,” she said. “They told me that I would be totally blind in 10 years. From that point on I just didn’t go back to a doctor for 17 years.” 

“Imagine, one person told me I would be blind in 10 years and I was like, ‘OK, I’m done.’ I wasted 17 years of my life.” 

Four years ago, Davis attended a convention of the Blinded Veterans Association, of which she is a life member, where she learned about Operation Peer Support, which hosts outings to help veterans become more active. A decorated multisport athlete in her formative years, Davis felt the competitive flame flicker to life. 

“Suddenly, my blindness became the crutch that I didn’t need anymore,” she said. “They sent me on a trip to Montana for the Out of Sight Kayak Clinic, put on by National Team River Runner. I had never kayaked, ever, and it was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. I felt like it was lifesaving because I was in a very dark place in dealing with what I had been dealing with. It was lifesaving to get out in that water. 

“I said we don’t have anything like this in Arkansas and the gentleman there told me, ‘You’re going to be the one to start it.’” 

Davis returned to The Natural State to found Central Arkansas Team River Runner out of her home in Pine Bluff. She organizes kayaking training and outings for blind veterans and those dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder and other injuries, with all equipment and gear provided through the organization. A second club, Northwest Arkansas Team River Runner, will launch soon. 

The success of the club has inspired Davis to more activism. She traveled to Washington, D.C., to lobby congressional delegates for more money for veteran trauma blindness, an effort that resulted in $20 million allocated for research. And she’s just getting started. 

“Once we get these chapters up and going, we can give the opportunity for fellowship with one another and for veterans to meet other veterans who have similar or like experiences,” she said. “They can share their strength and hope with each other. That’s the goal that I’m working towards. 

“I have to be on board because my life is helping the veterans. I can say the trauma I experienced in the military pushed me to where I’m the person that I am right now. You can’t let your demons control your life.”