"It's the best thing I ever did"
Kendra shares with us how a visit to a low vision center gave her more than she ever expected.
Hadley
It’s the Best Thing I Ever Did
Presented by Douglas Walker
Douglas: Hello, and welcome to the Insights and Sound Bites podcast, where people facing vision loss share insights about what has helped them cope and adjust.
Voice 1: You cannot do this alone. You need people who are experiencing the same thing.
Voice 2: Probably the hardest part was just navigating through the emotions of it.
Douglas: My name is Douglas Walker. We all have different emotions when faced with changing vision. Today we’ll hear from Kendra. Kendra will share with us how a visit to a low vision center, gave her more than she ever expected.
Kendra: My name is Kendra Marcus, and I live in Lafayette, California, which is in the Bay Area of California. And I am working in the publishing industry, and I am still working. And it's very exciting to be able to figure out ways to work around and still continue to work.
First of all, I saw that my parents went blind and they didn't do anything to help themselves and to get ahead of it. They just accepted it. And I'm not that kind of person. And so, I was looking around and I went to a low vision center because somebody said, you can try a low vision center. And there they said they had a support group if I was interested. So, I went to the support group, even though I sort of don't like things like that. I'm not a joiner. I tend to just figure it out by myself. But I thought, I can't do this by myself. So, I went and it was a group of people from 40 to 92 who just came in.
And each time we sort of introduced ourselves, we talked a minute about our eye condition, and then we said, what was bothering us or how did we spend the holidays? How was that for us? What were the problems? And for the holiday one, somebody said, I feel so useless. I can't see anybody who's talking to me. I have to sit in a corner and wait for people to talk to me.
And everybody chimed in, well, have you tried this or have you tried that? And then somebody else would say, I can't read anymore. I don't know what to do. And then somebody would say, have you heard about BARD at the National Library for the Blind? And we just exchanged information at the same time as sort of dealing with some of the harder issues of losing sight. And I would say that that's been the best thing I ever did. And so, in a word, the best thing is to meet another blind person or another person with low vision and find out what they did, because everybody's willing to help. We all are flailing in the beginning because we don't know where to go.
Douglas: Was there something that someone said to you or something that happened along the way that made all the difference in the world in helping you adjust to living with vision loss?
We‘d love to hear from you 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]. Again, my name is Douglas Walker. Take care and I’ll see you next time.
All Episodes
-
Episode 57
Terry's doctor told him, "There's nothing more we can do. You'll never drive again," and he was distraught. Then he recalled his military days as a Marine and sailor, and that got him through.
-
Episode 56
When Emma lost her sight in just a few months, she struggled to cope. She felt alone, her insecurities grew, and self-esteem plummeted. With time, she came to a new understanding and that helped her tremendously.
-
Episode 55
Dave calls his experience with vision loss a slow torture. In the face of this, however, he has found a sense of inspiration in explorers, history, and an activity you wouldn't typically connect with vision loss, sightseeing.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
Episode 50
Learning to live with vision loss wasn't always easy for Pam. But with time, her bad days are fewer.
-
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"
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.