"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 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.
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Episode 35
For many, having to give up the car keys due to vision loss is traumatic. Deb felt it too. Then, during a call to arrange transportation for herself, a new door opened.
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Episode 34
Listen in as Anne describes how a question posed to her shifted her perspective for living with vision loss.