It is amazing when you hear a miraculous story over and over again how ordinary it becomes. It is like a song that is played repetitively on the radio – you can’t wait to hear it, but then it is requested constantly so it doesn’t seem quite as special anymore. I cannot count the number of times I have heard about my birth. It was told to me so many times that I almost believe I was there to experience the whole thing as an observer! I was born premature,…
Read More
I’m a mother to my 17-year-old daughter. She lost her sight 3 ½ years ago to a brain tumor. I have watched her work hard to gain the physical skills necessary to function independently in a sighted world. I have watched her learn and practice the reading and technological skills necessary to participate in school and future professions. The hardest thing to watch is her social struggles. She can do her part, but it requires another willing participant to have a conversion, let alone a relationship. I saw BlindNewWorld and…
Read More
I remember, when I was young, being afraid of the dark. I recall running into my parents’ bedroom to hurry and turn the lights on and run back. It is funny when I think about it now, but I never really understood the reason I was so afraid. Maybe it was just the unknown – but it would be a feeling I would never forget. In August of 2013, I lost my eyesight to diabetic retinopathy. At this time, I was 28 years old and I had just become a…
Read More
Being 14 years old already sucks enough or at least I thought it did. Then throw in your mom going blind within a matter of 8 months…it was more than this young teenager wanted to deal with. Adding that into my melting pot of teenage problems, I felt like my life was beginning to unwind. I say problems in a loose fashion because in all reality there weren’t big problems, but to a fourteen year old girl they were. It was the end of the world if I didn’t get…
Read More
I came from a family that was uncomfortable with differences. I was made to feel inferior by all of them. My husband was the first person who showed me that it was OK to be me and that I was someone with value. He couldn’t see me and told me I was pretty. He was smart and did so many things on his own. I thought if he can, so can I. I am the happy wife of Jerry who is blind and has Parkinson’s. He has taught me to…
Read More
I was sighted my entire life, until at the age of 27, I lost all of my eyesight from diabetic retinopathy. I was a single mom, working to support my family, and now I lost my site in a matter of three months, lost my job and could not see to do anything. I felt like my life is over and that my only option was giving up. I could not have been more wrong. This is not the end of my life, but rather the beginning to an incredible…
Read More
Throughout much of my 20’s, I battled breast cancer. Chemotherapy and radiation impacted my body in ways I never expected, including effecting my vision. Beginning at age 28, my eyesight began to decline. First it was my color vision, then my depth perception. Doctors attributed my vision loss to a neurological disconnect; my brain was having problems communicating with my optic nerves. On January 3, 2012, I woke up and headed to my job as a social worker at a local school. Throughout the day, I developed a horrible headache….
Read More
Well, I certainly have had my experience dealing with blind children. When our daughter, Lynne, was born in 1953, within a couple of weeks we realized something was not quite right about her eyes. We took her to the Doctor, and were told he would keep close of her, and he would see her at the six week checkup. At that time, he told us he was not sure if it was a brain problem, or an eye problem. We were referred to a specialist in Worcester, who told us…
Read More
My husband John Furniss has been blind since the age of 16. He adapted to being blind very quickly physically and has always had great spacial awareness. Most days I forget he’s blind. He is a kind and gentle soul, not to mention incredibly talented. He’s a piano rebuilder and artistic woodworker. He doesn’t let his blindness stop him from doing all the things he loves doing. He mows our lawn and chops wood. He loves target shooting, sculpting and baking bread. John and I do blind awareness talks at…
Read More
In April of 2015, my world as I knew it came crashing down. I woke up with the worst headache I have ever had in my life. The pain was so severe I was dizzy and vomiting. And my vision was blurry. My husband took me to the ER where I was admitted for testing. I began to lose vision in my left eye. The hospital brought in a neurologist, who sent for a spinal tap. I was then diagnosed with Psuedotumor Cerebri. A neurological brain disorder where your brain…
Read More
