"I found something to do"
This week, hear how rediscovering a favorite activity helped Celia find balance as she adjusts to vision loss.
Hadley
I found something to do
Presented by Douglas Walker
Douglas: Hello, and welcome to the Insights and Sound Bites podcast, where people facing vision loss share insights about what has helped them cope and adjust.
Celia: And it just got me out of my funk because I had something to focus on besides just sitting here going “Okay, well my whole life has changed. Now what?”
Douglas: My name is Douglas Walker. Even a small change in your vision can make a big difference in how you have to approach some of the most familiar tasks. Today, we’ll hear from Celia. Celia shares with us how what started out as a joke with her grandkids, got her back into the community doing something she loves to do.
Celia: My name is Celia Petersen, I'm from Spring Branch, Texas, and I was a farmer before I lost my vision.
I have severe glaucoma, and I didn't have medical insurance for many years and so it was slowly developing, but then in the last year, year and a half, it sped up. They don't know why. And so now it's severe glaucoma. One eye doesn't have any vision at all, and the other eye is not doing great. So, I had an accident and I fell, and because of the light changes, which is real common. I understand now with glaucoma and I tore my meniscus in my left knee and broke my right wrist. And that's when I went back to the eye doctor and said, "What the heck?"
I'm 66 now. And I guess because I always lived in the same place and did the same things, I didn't realize how bad it was until I moved to Texas two years ago. I had drove here two years ago, but I couldn't drive at night, I already knew that that was an issue. But within a year of living here, it just really got bad. I don't drive at all anymore. And so, one of the explanations I was given is that your brain fills things in for you, and then when I was in an unfamiliar place where I didn't know where anything was, I just started really noticing because I was running into things and getting injured all the time.
After I got the diagnosis that my glaucoma was in the severe end stage and I didn't know what to do, I didn't know where to go.
What changed my mind was I was talking to my grandkids and they were teasing me, because they were trying to lift my spirit, and say, "How are you going to continue making the fleece into clothes and stuff when you can't see?" And I joked with them and they said, "Well, you should make hats for blind people because they won't notice your mistakes."
And I've done all this wool work for over 30 years with my sheep, so maybe I'll just do it by memory or learn how to do it a different way. And that just got me out of my funk because I had something to do, something to focus on beside just sitting here going, "Okay, well, my whole life has changed, now what?" So that's how I started.
And the first few things I made looked pretty funky because I had a great grandbaby and I sent her a toy and they were like, "What is it?" I had to rethink how to do things and get bigger needles and ask people for help. That's the biggest thing, was learning to ask for help, because I was a very independent person, and I had been my whole life. I ran the farm after my husband died, by myself. And now all of a sudden, you can't drive, you have to ask for rides everywhere, and you can't do your way of life anymore. It was a big change.
So, I found a farmer's market that was close enough and a friend that I had met here in Texas that could drive, and she does lace work, and I said, "Let's do something together." And so, she drove us to the market and we set up together and I handed out Hadley pamphlets with each thing that they bought, anybody bought, and I put a tag on there about Hadley.
I was so surprised by how many people wanted to support that. They're seeing me there with my cane, spinning wool, and that brings them over, the spinning wheel, and then I could talk to them, and so many of them had a story in their own family. Maybe they had glaucoma or something like me, and then I will talk to them and reassure them, "Your life's not over now. You just got to learn new ways to do things. And you'll be a little slower, so what?"
Douglas: I’d love to hear your story. If you’d like to share, you can leave me a voicemail by calling, 847-512-4867. Or, you can email me a recording to podcast@HadleyHelps.org. Again, my name is Douglas Walker. Take care and I’ll see you next time.
All Episodes
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Episode 41
Living with low vision meant Karen was constantly explaining to others what she can and can't see. Then she found a tool that has made a big difference.
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Episode 40
Having to give up the car keys was traumatic for Eugenia. She worried about becoming isolated until she found a new way.
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Episode 38
Denise can struggle with the slow but continuous loss of vision she's facing. But she's found a way to pick herself up on a bad day.
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Episode 37
Listen in as Vanessa shares what has helped keep her from feeling hopeless and defeated due to vision loss.
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Episode 36
Stacy shares with us how being honest about her vision loss with her friends and coworkers has made all the difference in the world.
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Episode 35
For many, having to give up the car keys due to vision loss is traumatic. Deb felt it too. Then, during a call to arrange transportation for herself, a new door opened.
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Episode 34
Listen in as Anne describes how a question posed to her shifted her perspective for living with vision loss.
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Episode 33
This week, William shares how learning to continue with his favorite hobby, even with vision loss, has been therapeutic—and uplifting. Here's the link to his website https://www.blindtruths.org/
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Episode 32
This week Angela shares how she struggled to get around due to vision loss, how she tried to hide it from others, and what helped her.
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Episode 31
This week we hear from Appreciate. She found that a Facebook group, The International Blind Cafe, gave her a source of comfort and encouragement.
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Episode 30
Marian's inner voice had her living in fear. Listen in as she shares how she redirected that voice to be more helpful for her.
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Episode 29
This week Dorrie shares how technology has made all the difference for her in living with vision loss.
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Episode 28
Today we hear from Ed who shares how the source of hope for him has changed with time.
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Episode 27
Listen in as Cindy shares how advice from her son helped her adjust to her new normal.
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Episode 26
Listen in as Tim recalls a conversation with a store clerk and how it helped him adjust to life with vision loss.
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Episode 25
Listen in as Alice shares a boyfriend's advice from many years ago. Words that give her hope, even today.
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Episode 24
Listen in as Bill shares how a chance encounter changed his perspective on vision loss.
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Episode 23
Listen in as Ruth shares how her frustration and impatience turned around with just one phone call.
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Episode 22
Listen in as Sam shares how he struggled trying to hide his vision loss-and how he finally turned the corner.
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Episode 21
Listen in as Eugenia describes how her own determination and the support of friends helped her keep moving forward.
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Episode 20
Listen in as Zenobia shares how she found the support and strength she needed.
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Episode 19
Listen in and be inspired as Saras explains how changing her perspective to, "Why NOT me?" helped her tap into her strengths.
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Episode 18
Sheri shares with us how the love for her horses helped her find purpose and peace.
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Episode 17
Kendra shares with us how a visit to a low vision center gave her more than she ever expected.
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Episode 16
Listen to Carol's story as she shares how owning her changing vision gave her the drive to discover useful resources and realize that it's important—and okay—to ask for help when she needs it.
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Episode 15
Listen in as Chuck shares how he found hope in a chance encounter.
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Episode 14
Listen in as Kara shares how she found new ways to express herself in her love of visual art, and redefining a meaningful life.
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Episode 13
Listen in as Leah shares how it finally clicked for her—the realization that she's not alone.
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Episode 12
Hear how Axel set one goal at a time and slowly took the steps to rebuild his skills, reengage in his art, and reestablish his emotional well being.
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Episode 11
Gregory shares how finding a mentor made all the difference in the world to him, and his entire family.
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Episode 10
Listen in as we hear from Sarah. For her, hearing a blind architect's story changed her perspective on what was possible.
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Episode 9
Listen in as Tom shares how leaning on his faith helps him adjust to vision loss.
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Episode 8
Pat shares with us the choices she made when faced with a visual impairment.
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Episode 7
Darryl shares with us how a referral to a low vision specialist was where his life with vision loss began to turn around.
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Episode 6
Annie shares with us the steps she took to work through her depression by seeking help from a mental health professional.
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Episode 5
Sharon shares with us how she worked through the isolation and found people just like her to get the support she needed.
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Episode 4
Hannah shares with us how she had to give herself permission to grieve her vision loss in order to reach acceptance.
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Episode 3
Randy's search for help led him into a whole new way of thinking.
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Episode 2
Ruth shares how her mother's advice, "Knock the T Off Can't," helped her.
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Episode 1
Larry shares how he found strength in his core beliefs to get him through the shock of his initial diagnosis.