"It's humbling, but I'm willing to try."
When Nancy's vision deteriorated to the point that it was challenging to navigate streets of a neighborhood she walked for decades, it was humbling. But a friend's comment surprised and inspired her. Her perspective started to shift.
Hadley
“It’s humbling, but I’m willing to try”
Nancy: These are streets that I've walked for over 30 years, and now I can't find my way around. And then I come home a little shaken, like, oh my goodness, my confidence is all down.
Marc: This is Hadley’s Insights and Sound Bites, where people facing vision loss share what has helped them cope and adjust.
Nancy: My name is Nancy Kranjac. I live in New Jersey and I'm currently 60 years old, but I was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa. It was hard news. It was hard news. I had lost a lot of vision already. There are so many challenges because I get lost sometimes and I get frustrated. And I said, wait a minute, how do I actually get out of this situation?
And it's humbling. These are streets that I've walked for over 30 years, and I walked them fairly, and now I can't find my way around or see where my driveway is, and I have to struggle to find my driveway or my doorstep. And then I come home a little shaken, like, oh my goodness, my confidence is all down.
And I came inside one day and my friend called me. She said, you know, you are so brave. You're so courageous. I said, really? Why? Why would you say that? She said, you are brave and courageous just to step foot outside and do this. I said, you know, you're right, I am brave, I am courageous, I should be out there proud of myself in the sense that I am willing to put myself out there and try something really hard, when it's so easy to just crumple up and not do anything about it.
So it changed my perspective in the sense that at first I was crumbling and I found the challenge to be overwhelming. And now I'm willing to try. And if I fail, I think about it and like, well, this is not for the light of heart.
It's really hard to do. If I can't do it first turn around, we'll figure it out. I'll figure it out. Somehow, I'll get home. And when I do, I feel brave, I feel courageous, and now it's just changing my perspective on how to attempt the same things. It's giving me motivation.
Marc: Insights and Sounds Bites is brought to you by listeners like you. Who believe no one should have to face vision loss alone. Consider making a year-end gift to support this show and all of Hadley’s free resources. Visit HadleyHelps.org/Give or call 1-800-323-4238.
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 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.
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Episode 1
Larry shares how he found strength in his core beliefs to get him through the shock of his initial diagnosis.