"I haven't given up"
Learning he would never see again was heartbreaking for Shannon. Embracing what challenged him, Shannon discovered strength in the unfamiliar.
Hadley
I haven’t given up
Shannon: I had to experience darkness. But when I started bumping into things and leaving knots on my head and sores, that inspired me to do better.
Marc: This is Hadley’s Insights and Sound Bites, where people facing vision loss share what has helped them cope and adjust.
Shannon: My name is Shannon Wood. I live in Memphis, Tennessee. My story starts in 2015 when I lost my eyesight completely at one time.
When he shined the light in my eye when he dilated them, that my retinas were torn too bad. And so, I asked the doctor, I said, does this mean that I'll be blind the rest of my life? And he said yes pretty much.
And so, I was heartbroken over it.
I had to experience darkness. I was first led around by other people, and, ended up getting a cane.
But when I started bumping into things and leaving knots on my head and sores on my shins and stuff, where I bump into the mop bucket. That inspired me to do better. Number one, not walking so fast and I had to walk slow and make sure I go around an object when I had my cane with me.
I had to rely on my hearing. And when I rely on my hearing, I hear the wall. I can hear somebody walk by me. I can hear cars coming. I can hear if I'm close to a car. If it's parked, traffic it everything has a different sound.
I end up having to be inspired by trying to challenge myself to look forward to new things like, that's why I decided to read braille for. Because I want to sing in the church. And so, I decided to read braille.
But me giving up. No, I haven't give up. My story's unique, but I appreciate you letting me talk and everything.
Marc: Insights & Sound Bites is made possible by Hadley’s donors. Who understand that hearing some else’s story, can truly make a difference.
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].
All Episodes
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Episode 13
Listen in as Leah shares how it finally clicked for her—the realization that she's not alone.
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Episode 12
Hear how Axel set one goal at a time and slowly took the steps to rebuild his skills, reengage in his art, and reestablish his emotional well being.
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Episode 11
Gregory shares how finding a mentor made all the difference in the world to him, and his entire family.
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Episode 10
Listen in as we hear from Sarah. For her, hearing a blind architect's story changed her perspective on what was possible.
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Episode 9
Listen in as Tom shares how leaning on his faith helps him adjust to vision loss.
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Episode 8
Pat shares with us the choices she made when faced with a visual impairment.
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Episode 7
Darryl shares with us how a referral to a low vision specialist was where his life with vision loss began to turn around.
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Episode 6
Annie shares with us the steps she took to work through her depression by seeking help from a mental health professional.
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Episode 5
Sharon shares with us how she worked through the isolation and found people just like her to get the support she needed.
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Episode 4
Hannah shares with us how she had to give herself permission to grieve her vision loss in order to reach acceptance.
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Episode 3
Randy's search for help led him into a whole new way of thinking.
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Episode 2
Ruth shares how her mother's advice, "Knock the T Off Can't," helped her.