Interview with Paralympian Lex Gillette: How Something As Simple as Tide Pods Can Make a Big Difference

Disclosure: Tide facilitated a phone interview for us with Lex Gillette. All opinions are our own.

For many of us, doing laundry and other household tasks can seem like a chore, but imagine how much more challenging these routine activities could be for someone who is blind. Considering this serves as a great reminder not to take these things for granted.

We recently had the opportunity to speak with Tide spokesperson Lex Gillette, the best totally blind triple and long jumper in the history of U.S. Paralympics, who is keenly aware of the impact the loss of sight can have on one’s independent life. As an eight-year-old boy, Lex’s sight began to fade due to recurrent retina detachments. While many of his friends were riding bikes and shooting hoops, Lex was being shuttled by his mother to operation after operation, to try and stabilize what little vision he had left. Unfortunately, after the final operation, Lex’s mother had to let her son know he would most likely never see again.

Lex’s mother empowered her son to succeed despite the new challenge he faced as a young boy losing his sight. Gillette’s mother impressed upon him the importance of being independent despite his blindness. By the age of thirteen, he could do the laundry, clean his room, take out the trash, vacuum and iron for himself.

Even though he wasn’t able to see, Lex’s mother used Tide as a tool to help her son always look his best. Lex remembers when he had his sight as a young boy, seeing his mother pour the detergent into the machine. When he became an athlete and began traveling to events and speaking engagements he knew it was important to look his best, and knowing that Tide would take care of his clothes gave Lex confidence and assurance that he would be looking his best because of his faith and trust in the brand.

Lex’s mother introducing him to Tide Pods a few years ago proved a real game-changer for him. Lex no longer had to portion out the amount of detergent he used per load of laundry. He even could pack a few Tide Pods with him when he traveled in his luggage, ensuring that his clothes would stay fresh whether he was home in the United States or at a competition in Australia. As an athlete, Lex goes through many changes of clothes, and having Tide Pods on hand keep the laundry rotation much more manageable.

It was inspiring to speak with Lex about his career as a Paralympic athlete. Lex began running track in high school when he learned he excelled in fitness tests and long jumps during public school physical fitness testing. His teachers worked with him in track and field, and while it was frustrating at first to learn how to run in a straight line and pick up on audible cues, he soon adapted to make progress based on calculating how many steps he would need to take in order to cross a finish line or round a track. He was the only blind athlete on his high school’s track and field team. He soon became inspired to join the U.S .Paralympic Team and stand on the Podium for Team USA, and his dream became a reality when he achieved the Gold Medal in Athens in 2004.

His advice to young athletes is make sure to not forget the importance of mastering your education and being an articulate speaker so that you can truly become an influential figure in the sports world once you’ve mastered your athletic goals.

It was evident in speaking with Lex that his mother has been truly instrumental in empowering him to be the successful, independent and strong athlete and man he is today. Knowing how using Tide Pods have made such an impact on Lex’s life, we’ll be all the more thankful for the convenience they offer when doing our next load of laundry!

Photo Credits: Tide & Getty Images

Lorianne Lacey