A conversation with a friend helped Nancy see the challenges of vision loss differently and gave her a new perspective and motivation to try new things.
Hadley
Community Stories – Nancy
My name is Nancy. I live in New Jersey and I'm currently 60 years old.
I was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa. It was hard news. It was hard news. I had lost a lot of vision already. There are so many challenges because I get lost sometimes and I get frustrated and I said, wait a minute, how do I actually get out of this situation?
And it's humbling. These are streets that I've walked for over 30 years and I walked them clearly and now I can't find my way around or see where my driveway is and I have to struggle to find my driveway or my doorstep. And then I come home a little shaken and like, oh my goodness, my confidence is all down.
And I came inside one day, my friend called me. She said, "You know, you are so brave. You're so courageous." I said, "Really? Why, why would you say that?" She said, "You are brave and courageous. Just to step foot outside and do this." I said, "You know, you're right. I am brave. I am courageous. I should be out there proud of myself in the sense that I am willing to put myself out there and try something really hard when it's so easy to just crumple up and not do anything about it."
So it changed my perspective in the sense that at first I was crumbling and I found the challenge to be overwhelming. And now I'm willing to try. And if I fail, I think about it. I'm like, "Well, this is not for the light of heart. It's really hard to do. If I can't do it first time around, we'll figure it out. I'll figure it out. Somehow I'll get home." And when I do, I feel brave. I feel courageous. And now it's just changing my perspective on how to attempt different things. It's giving me motivation.