"I can make my life as full and rich as I possibly can"

Hadley

“I can make my life as full and rich as I possibly can”

Martha: I think that was one of my big learnings was asking for help and that really, it can change everything, it really can.

Marc: This is Hadley’s Insights and Sound Bites, where people facing vision loss share what has helped them cope and adjust.

Martha: My name is Martha Taylor and I live in Little Rock, Arkansas.

I was diagnosed with macular dystrophy and after I did some genetic testing, I had a form of Stargardt and Stargardt's is an eye condition that usually starts in young children, but you have to have two gene pairs to have that form of Stargardt. And after my genetic testing, I found out I only had one gene pair, which is why my condition didn't come on until later in life. And I really didn't notice any difference until probably about 10 years ago. And have been kind of trying to figure my way forward since then.

I've always been very independent and I love to go on trips and travel and the thing that has been the hardest for me is to ask for help and to not see that as like a character flaw or a moral failing.

I went on a two week cruise last fall with my cousin and it was a Baltic sea cruise and I've never been to that part of the world at all, but she said, "I want to do this with you."

So the first few days we kind of spent time navigating the ship and navigating the walking tours and here's the curb and here's cobblestone and you know, and I would just have to say to her, "I can't see that. Can you describe it to me? " And it was fantastic.

I thought, "Oh, traveling is done for me. " And no, it's not. And it really gives you confidence. I think that was one of my big learnings was the asking for help and that really, it can change everything, it really can.

We all need help and sometimes you need, sometimes you need a little more than other times and, I think just seeking the support of other groups or services or friends or family because we tend to isolate. We tend to say, "Oh, our world is so small now and shrinking," but it doesn't have to be. And so I just had to suck it up and just say, "I'm going to do this. I can make my life as full and rich as I possibly can, but I can't do that by myself."

Marc: You never know who might need to hear your story. If you’d like to share with us, just leave us a message on our Insights & Sound Bites voicemail. By calling, 847-512-4867. Or, you can use your smartphone or computer and email us a recording to [email protected].