"You don't know it all."
A close call on a walk changed the way Lance thinks about living with vision loss. It reminded him to stay open, keep learning, and keep moving forward.
Hadley
“You don’t know it all.”
Lance: You can't be too sure of yourself, you really have to understand and it's a continuous education of how to read your environment and so on and so forth.
Marc: This is Hadley’s Insights and Sound Bites, where people facing vision loss share what has helped them cope and adjust.
Lance: I'm Lance Farmer and I'm from Oxford, Florida. I have the trifecta, I have glaucoma, macular, and I had a couple of strokes. I have no peripheral vision and a very narrow field of central vision.
So my first clue was in my work, I couldn't see the computer very well, but I just thought I needed new glasses. And I noticed that out in the field I was having more difficulty seeing machinery and so on and so forth. And then one weekend, my wife followed me in her vehicle and I drove home and she said, "Are you okay?" She called me and said, "Are you okay? Are you sleepy?" And I said, "No, I'm not sleepy." She says, "Well, you're all over the road. You're running up on the curb." And I said, "Well, I think I maybe need some new glasses." So then she started really kind of putting two and two together and we went to the doctor and within about three to five minutes in the doctor's chair, he said, "Oh yeah, your driving days are over." And that was the start, it just happened that fast.
Recently I was out walking with my dog on an adventure actually to find a Dairy Queen. I knew where I was at, I knew there was a sidewalk there. So I took my family pet but on the way back, I used my cane to follow the ramp, but long story short, I got out into the center of a four lane highway.
And I came face to face with a semi-truck, screeching its brakes and laying on this air horn and had a near miss there. And that really grounded me to the fact that, you can't be too sure of yourself, you really have to understand and it's a continuous education of how to read your environment and so on and so forth. So I came home, I threw that white cane in the trash and I sat down and I told Bailey, my dog, I said, "I'm done. I'm not walking anymore. We're just going to have to sit here." And that lasted about 30 minutes, regrouped and I took my wearable magnifier back to that corner, looked through the view master of the view and understood the lay of that. So I educated myself and then I got help to how to understand that intersection a little bit more.
And I think that was a turning point for being grounded, not to get ahead of yourself, but also not to give up. You don't know it all. You still have to keep learning, you still have to keep trying, you still have to be aware of your surroundings." So that experience grounded me 100% to you're not done learning,
It was very humbling, very grounding, very ... It was a good turning point to say, "Hey, don't give up, use your skillset, use your tools in your toolbox." You can survive, you can make it happen.
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].
All Episodes
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Episode 82
When Elizabeth lost her vision in an auto accident, she went into survival mode. As she began to rebuild her life, she found certain connections and activities helped her focus less on her limitations and more on a renewed sense of purpose.
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Episode 81
When Eddie lost a fair amount of vision, she was scared and didn’t know how she was going to cope. But she found a source of strength and inspiration.
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Episode 80
As Kenneth lost most of his sight to glaucoma, he was feeling increasingly isolated and alone. Then he made a commitment, forcing himself to find ways to stay connected to the rest of the world.
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Episode 79
When Carol Lee was diagnosed with age-related macular degeneration, she was angry and frustrated. Over time, resentment began to fade a bit and the shock wore off. Gradually, her perspective started to shift.
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Episode 78
When Cliff unexpectedly lost a fair amount of his sight, he felt overwhelmed. But with time, he found a way forward.
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Episode 77
Thomas is experiencing many challenges of late, including vision loss. He finds inspiration and hope knowing he's not alone.
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Episode 76
Nikki has lost her vision due to a rare autoimmune disease. While she appreciates positive bits of advice and encouragement, she also stays grounded in the struggles she's facing and knows others do, too. She's feeling the loss.
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Episode 75
When a favorite hobby became more difficult for Dianne due to glaucoma, she learned to tap into something else. It turned out to be the ideal thing.
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Episode 74
Peter's sight slowly but steadily worsened over the course of several years. When he had to give up driving, his self-image took a hit. Working through his emotions has helped him cope and adjust.
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Episode 73
Sherry's vision loss has been gradual yet relentless. Asking for help to do things she used to be able to do on her own is a challenge for her, as it is for many. But she's finding some new tools and new ways to do things.
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Episode 72
Carolyn lost much of her vision after several glaucoma surgeries, leaving her feeling angry and discouraged. But a familiar childhood story inspired her to keep trying, even when tasks seemed impossible.
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Episode 71
Learning he would never see again was heartbreaking for Shannon. Embracing what challenged him, Shannon discovered strength in the unfamiliar.