"You Can't Do This Alone"

Insights and Sound Bites

You Can’t Do This Alone

Presented by Douglas Walker

Voice 1: You cannot do this alone. You need people who are experiencing the same thing.

Voice 2: Probably the hardest part was just navigating through the emotions of it.

Voice 3: Think if this had happened to a dear friend of yours, how much you would feel for him or her.

Douglas Walker: Hello, and welcome to the Insights and Sound Bites podcast. My name is Douglas Walker. When you’re diagnosed with a vision loss you can feel so alone. Today we’ll hear from Sharon. Sharon will share with us how she worked through the isolation and found people just like her to get the support she needed.

Sharon: When you first get that diagnosis and have no symptoms, you don't really understand what the possibilities are. I'm relying on a doctor to tell me the possibilities or to direct me in a direction of what could this journey look like. And I never found that.

There's a linear process and I most likely will lose more vision along the way. And one day I'll wake up and maybe I won't see as well. You know, every day was a different journey. It was a journey. It's terrifying. Unless you’re with people who are experiencing the same thing and can give support, it's a very lonely thing.

I'm adjusting it, but I'm much more stable now than I have been ever. I'm less fearful about the future. I know the vision may deteriorate further, but I feel I have the skills now and the support now with all of the services, yours included, to navigate.

The most important thing is you need a support group. You cannot do this alone. You may need more than your family. You need people who are experiencing the same thing.

Douglas Walker: You need a support group. You can’t do this alone. Thankfully, Sharon found the support she needed and, that’s what Hadley and Hadley’s discussion groups are all about. Was there something that someone said to you or something someone did for you early on that made all the difference in the world in helping you to adjust to living with vision loss?

We’d love to hear from you. If you’d like to share with us, just leave us a message on our Insights and Sound Bites podcast voicemail by calling 847-512-4867. Or you can use your smartphone or computer and email us a recording to podcast@hadley.edu. Again, my name is Douglas Walker, take care and see you next time.