"It was something I had to do"
For Dottie, losing her vision meant giving up many things, and there was one farewell that hit especially hard. But after making a difficult choice to let go of something she loved, Dottie found a new perspective on what she had lost—and gained.
Hadley
“It was something I had to do”
Dottie: “Trying to get used to the darkness, as well as trying to adjust to being as normal as I possibly can.”
Marc: This is Hadley’s Insights and Sound Bites, where people facing vision loss share what has helped them cope and adjust.
Dottie: My name is Dorothy. I go by Dottie Wilson. I live in North Carolina, right outside Winston-Salem. My eye condition is NAION or non-interior ischemic optic neuropathy. This presented itself to me in 2019, in my left eye. And I lost some vision in that eye. I lost some peripheral vision that was not a really good eye to begin with.
I got over that pretty quickly. I'd say it took me about six months to adjust to that. Then in 2022, it hit my right eye. And that was my pretty much my dominant eye. And it hit it really hard. I lost all my peripheral vision. So it has been quite a battle for me because the second episode, it's been not quite four years yet and I am trying to still to adjust.
Trying to get used to the darkness, as well as trying to adjust to being as normal as I possibly can. It's probably been one of the hardest things I've ever dealt with in my life. I had just bought the car, it was four months old, and I've always driven the same brand of car since 1995. And you know, I'm getting ready to turn 70 years old, so I knew that was probably going to be my last car. And I loved it. And it was brand new.
And more than anything, I think it was just that that was just one thing that was taken away that I just loved. I love driving. I love going places. And it was really, it was really hard on me knowing that I was going to have to get rid of it, but I knew it was something that I had to do. That I could not allow myself to get in that car and possibly hurt myself or hurt someone else.
And I would have never done that, no matter how hard it was to let it go and not see it sit in my garage. And to be honest, I think about it from time to time, but I know it's gone.
I also was told by the owner, and I knew he would do this because he knows us very well and he said, I will make sure that somebody very special gets her car that loved it as much as she did. And that warms my heart.
And like I said, I can go down in the garage, which that side of the garage now is filled with my grand grandbabies, riding toys. So, I look at it in that standpoint as well, that they've got a whole side of the garage, that they can ride all their riding toys on that side of the garage.
So, you know, so it created a space for my grandchildren as well. I guess you could say that I gave them a spot to park their cars.
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 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.
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Episode 42
For Cynthia, every story shared helps her on her own journey with vision loss.
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Episode 41
Living with low vision meant Karen was constantly explaining to others what she can and can't see. Then she found a tool that has made a big difference.
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Episode 40
Having to give up the car keys was traumatic for Eugenia. She worried about becoming isolated until she found a new way.
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Episode 39
This week, hear how rediscovering a favorite activity helped Celia find balance as she adjusts to vision loss.
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Episode 38
Denise can struggle with the slow but continuous loss of vision she's facing. But she's found a way to pick herself up on a bad day.
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Episode 37
Listen in as Vanessa shares what has helped keep her from feeling hopeless and defeated due to vision loss.
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Episode 36
Stacy shares with us how being honest about her vision loss with her friends and coworkers has made all the difference in the world.