In thinking about sharing my story, I consider myself a typical person. I had a family and friends, a career I loved and hobbies that required eyesight: seeing all parts of this beautiful country, devouring books and driving my car. I am not the inspirational representation we often see, I am not a veteran who lost a limb and goes on to compete in a marathon on artificial legs or in a racing wheelchair.
Pre waking up blind I would consume a hundred books a year. Last year I obtained an electronic magnifier (Merlin) which enables me to read with the little sight that I do have. In 2016, my total number of books read for the year was sixty-five. And today I finished my sixty-fifth book of 2017.
I will never run a race but if you think about it, my return to reading so many books after losing most of my vision is like an athlete who loses their legs and returns to running. The main anatomical parts needed, respectively, has been compromised. But when your own body and mind can adapt, when there is technology and machinery available and you can return to your passion, you can return to yourself. Unlike running and racing, reading is not about the numbers. But to go from 100 to 0 for several years, 0 to 65 in ten months feels like a podium moment.
