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.
Hadley
They’re very comforting
Presented by Douglas Walker
Albert: I have to plan my day a little more than the average person. You know, in the past, it was, jump in the car, run to the store, get a quart of milk. I can't do that as easily.
Douglas: Hello, and welcome to Hadley’s Insights and Sound Bites podcast, where people facing vision loss share insights about what has helped them cope and adjust.
Albert: My name is Albert Papazoni. I live in Houston, Texas, and I'm, 63 years old.
When I got into my early 50s, I started noticing my vision decreasing very rapidly. And what I found is that I had a genetic issue that skipped a generation.
So today, I would say I have maybe 10% vision, depending on the lighting and stress level, of course you wouldn't believe it, but that does have a huge impact.
I can't read hardcopy paper any longer. And, probably the biggest one is I have to plan my day a little more than the average person. You know, in the past, it was, jump in the car, run to the store, get a quart of milk. I can't do that as easily.
I went to the Humane Society. I ended up getting two cats and they lay in my lap. They come in the door. They follow me to my chair. And animals are so smart.
I sit in my chair and they both want to pop up there and sit on my lap. and, that's very comforting.
So I found a lot of comfort in my cats, and maybe they know I saved them. Maybe there's a little bit of that, too. I don't know, but they're certainly help me.
Douglas: Is there an insight you’d like to share? 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].
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