Listen in as Eugenia describes how her own determination and the support of friends helped her keep moving forward.
Hadley
I keep trying
Eugenia: The worst part for me with my sight, my sight will never be back. It's my Irish roots, I’m stubborn.
Marc: This is Hadley’s Insights and Sound Bites, where people facing vision loss share what has helped them cope and adjust.
Eugenia DeReu: Hi, my name is Eugenia DeReu. I am from the Buffalo, New York area. I'm 62. Back in January 2021, I stayed in the emergency room. They found a brain tumor the size of a baseball. That was between my skull and my brain. It was pushing my brain back. Through that, I lost a lot of time. I had to learn how to walk again once they took it out.
You know, I went from a wheelchair to a walker to finally walking. I'm still wobbly, but I'm doing better. I lost my sense of smell and I'm still recuperating. My brain is still recuperating two years later. And the worst part for me with my sight, my sight will never be back. I also had radiation, that radiation, that kind of damage, some that I guess it's scary.
But it's my Irish roots, I’m stubborn. And I found friends that I had for a long time that came back even though I was not functioning and they weren't there, they supported me. I found new friends. You know, my family's had a tough time, so we're still working on that one. But these friends have lifted me up and reminded me who I am.
And I've made myself joined the senior center because they have activities. I've made, I lost my independence because of my sight. I can't drive, but I've learned to love Audible.
And if you just embrace everything they say, it's the hardest thing to do is to embrace a new life, especially at 62 or 60. When it started. You know, it's but you could do it. And I still try. And every single day I get up and I think about what I need to do. And I don't always succeed, but I keep trying.
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].
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