"They're very comforting"

Hadley

They’re very comforting

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.

Marc: This is Hadley’s Insights and Sound Bites, where people facing vision loss share 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.

Marc: 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].