"I take it one day at a time"
Listen in as Vanessa shares what has helped keep her from feeling hopeless and defeated due to vision loss.
Hadley
I take it one day at a time
Vanessa: In my early stages of vision loss, I would just feel so defeated at times where I felt hopeless.
Marc: This is Hadley’s Insights and Sound Bites, where people facing vision loss share what has helped them cope and adjust.
Vanessa: My name is Vanessa Pruit and I live in Kennewick, Washington, Eastern Washington.
I have peripheral vision, but I have scarring in my center vision, so macular degeneration atrophy, is actually what it's called. And I just found that out in August of 2019.
Well, for me, because when I felt like I couldn't accomplish something, I would let, especially in my early stages of losing vision or vision loss, I would just feel so defeated at times where I felt hopeless, and I went through that for years, and that makes you feel low and depressed. And so, after a while I was like, you have to self-talk yourself out of things because even though the world doesn't really understand, I do.
So, I had to self-talk myself into saying, "I'm better than being defeated, I'm better than just sitting here and feeling sorry for myself because of the change from when I had vision until now." And it's not an easy thing for me to do, but I just take it one day at a time. And I do believe that because of that I'm able to face another day.
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].
All Episodes
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Episode 54
When Albert's vision decreased to the point that he could no longer read print anymore, he found it stressful. But he's found a new source of comfort that helps him quite a bit.
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Episode 53
Jayne can feel isolated living with her eye disease, spending much of her days forcing herself to focus on things that have become blurry. The stress can be overwhelming, causing her to shut down. But there's one area of life that now brings her more joy than ever before.
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Episode 52
When Jeffry lost his sight, he felt a loss of control, a loss of dignity. Then, he began his long road to empowerment, one small goal at a time.
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Episode 51
Marilyn went through bouts of anxiety and depression with her vision loss and still grieves the loss several years into her journey. She also decided to do something for herself which has helped tremendously.
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Episode 50
Learning to live with vision loss wasn't always easy for Pam. But with time, her bad days are fewer.
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Episode 49
Jennifer didn't know what to do or who to go to for help as her vision was fading. Then, by chance, she found some help. She found some direction.
The book referenced in this episode is "Macular Degeneration: The Complete Guide to Saving and Maximizing Your Sight"
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Episode 48
When Carmel heard a Hadley podcast, it helped her understand what had been happening to her along with her vision loss—something she had nicknamed her "phantom vision."
Carmel mentions an episode of our sister podcast, Hadley Presents. Here's a link to that episode on Vision Loss and Charles Bonnet Syndrome.
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Episode 47
It was tough for Linda to give up driving and she was heartbroken when reading became difficult. She felt her world was shrinking. But then she asked for help.
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Episode 46
Ashia felt all alone in her vision loss. No one around her knew what she was going through. Then she found something that gave her hope.
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Episode 45
Dennis found that many aspects of life with vision loss can be a struggle. Then he found something that turned that around.
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Episode 44
Judy has lived with progressive vision loss for many years. She's found a way that helps her cope and adjust.
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Episode 43
For years Bill hid his vision loss from others. He was self-conscious about it. Then, he decided to open up.