Sherma Randall lives outside of San Diego, California, in a small town called El Cajon. Professionally, she has been involved in a wide range of careers, from pharmacy tech to nursing tech to healthcare contract care. "I've had a big and busy life," Sherma explains. She also makes dolls, gnomes and elves, and has done so for years. “It’s a lot of fun and gives me an opportunity to be a kid!” Sherma says. “But it’s slowed down a bit now because the change in my eyes is keeping me from judging colors the way I used to.”
Sherma lost sight in her right eye years ago due to scarring from a procedure. Then, more recently, she’s developed macular degeneration in her left eye. Her retina specialist recommended she go to the San Diego Center for the Blind to learn how to live with diminished sight. “I’m very grateful that my doctor took that step for me. I’m learning new skills there.”
She learned of Hadley at that center. In addition to daily living skills, Sherma is also taking a class at the center to learn braille. The group uses Hadley’s materials to learn braille together. She’s worked her way through the basics of braille and is now working on the more advanced parts, like the abbreviations and contractions.
Sherma makes sure to share what she’s learned with others, too. An active member of the Salvation Army, she shares with those in her women’s ministry group about her experience with macular degeneration and what life with limited vision has been like. Sherma also encourages anyone faced with diminished vision to seek help.
“It was a little shocking at first,” Sherma says about learning that she had some permanent vision loss. “You have to accept it. But you don’t do that right away. It takes time. I realized that it is important for me to take steps to make my life as good as I can make it. I’m going to focus on the things I can do and not worry about the rest.”