Look Twice

At the time of receiving my diagnosis of vision impairment I was a 30-year-old adult I had already established a life including a relationship, friendships, and career path. What I wished someone told me at the time was to look at my new diagnosis as a whole and then look at it through another lens. It is only natural at the start of a diagnosis or at the start of the grief and loss process of what you have and what you may lose to concentrate on the negatives, counting off all the things that you are or will be unable to do. I needed to hear that that is ok to feel those things, but I should also look at what I can do and look for inspiration through others and their accomplishments. I did experience the feeling of hope when I was told to join a blind cricket team to which I did and I found that members of my team were lawyers working in courts, loan managers, Australian sports representatives and project managers to name a few.
I realised I too was still quite accomplished in the things I was doing. Over time and to this date I try to look at the positives of my disability, concentrating on what I can do rather than what I can’t. I have learnt to do things differently and become very adaptive to tasks I come across. It is important to acknowledge your loss but then overtime concentrate on the positives and you will find with a positive outlook you will attract positive people which will enhance your understanding of who you are and that your are as important as anyone else in your community. Good luck.