"Survive, Adapt, Overcome"
Larry shares how he found strength in his core beliefs to get him through the shock of his initial diagnosis.
Insights and Sound Bites
Survive, Adapt, Overcome
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 Walker: My name is Douglas Walker. When you’re new to vision loss your emotions can be all over the place. Today we’ll be hearing from Larry. Larry will be sharing some of the things that helped him work through the emotions of vision loss when he was first diagnosed.
Larry: I mean, I was in a fog, a funk if you will. I was shell-shocked that I'd been, I can see, but I can't see. I shouldn't drive. What does that mean? How do I make a living? How do I do the things that I did in life? How do I recreate? How do I associate with people when I can't recognize them? I just see blobs. I mean, they're severely out of focus, and the further away they are from me, the harder it is for me to identify them.
It's an unnerving time because you really don't know what to expect. What's going to happen? How am I going to do this? And at some point, you get through the 'why me' stage, and then you've got to get back to your core beliefs, your faith, your training. In my case, it was the army. The survive, adapt, overcome. And once you get that on board, and once you realize that your wife is in it for the long haul. God bless her. She's been with me 40 years. You can do it, but when you first get it, it's tough. It's rough.
Douglas Walker: Was there something someone said to you, or something someone did for you early on that made all the difference in the world in helping you to adjust 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 and Soundbites” podcast 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
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Episode 58
Marie grieved the loss of her vision, and still does. Yet, on a sunny August morning, she came to a realization that made all the difference in the world.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.