Holding Onto the Beautiful Things: Sarah's FAFTB Story
In December of 2024, Sarah was a passenger in a car coming back from a Christmas party. An oncoming car in the other lane had bright headlights that strained Sarah's vision. She closed just her left eye to block out the light, but then realized everything was dark. Even though her right eye was open, she couldn't see anything.
Of the surreal experience, Sarah said, "It was such a panic that I didn't tell others, because the fear was in myself."
A couple weeks later, doctors diagnosed Sarah with ocular histoplasmosis, a rare eye condition that stems from a lung infection. It's more common in the Ohio and Mississippi River valleys where the fungus that causes the infection is more likely to grow. Because the spores are microscopic, they can easily be inhaled without a person's knowledge. And while it starts in the lungs, only a small percentage of people develop the eye condition. This means people can sometimes suffer from ocular histoplasmosis without knowing it, which was true for Sarah.
While Sarah had migraines and other potential symptoms, she didn't realize her vision in her right eye was completely gone until that one car ride in December. At the doctor, she was told she had macular scar over entire right eye. Now, she is expecting to face total blindness in her future.
In the meantime, Sarah "holding onto beautiful things in life."
As Sarah started opening up to friends and family about her situation, she also got connected to resources to help her. It started out with one person from her past connecting her with a coworker and a support group. Then, she found First Aid for the Blind.
"I had not one person, and all of sudden I had a whole team show up for me. It was insane," said Sarah. "It's still lonely, but having them, getting the knowledge from these people, has a big game-changer. I have a lot more confidence in who I am."
The First Aid for the Blind Beginners Independent Living Skills training taught Sarah how to utilize technology, like VoiceOver on her iPhone, for assistance. She also developed other life skills, like tips for cooking safely.
"I was so comfortable so quick," said Sarah. "Brian [the trainer] was a godsend to be honest. He shared his journey to get me accustomed to what we were doing. He helped me understand so many things, not just the phone. It went above and beyond what I expected."
Sarah says that even two years later, she's using her FAFTB skills every day.
"The technology they teach you is important. I still listen to our sessions to keep up," she said, referencing the lesson recordings she received as part of her training to help with practice and information recall. "There are a multitude of things he taught me, and I use all of them, everything he taught me."
Kurt, president of First Aid for the Blind, recently called Sarah to check on her situation, something Sarah appreciated.
"It doesn't feel like two years. It feels like the shortest but longest ride," she said. "I love the connection with my people. They always follow up with you. I absolutely consider them to be my people. Kurt told me I'll always be part of the First Aid for the Blind family. It's sweet how they accept you no matter how much you see or don't see."
A sense of community is what has helped Sarah the most, and it's something she hopes for others who are in the process of losing their vision.
"Find your people," she said. "There are ways, there are programs. Do not be alone in this whatsoever. That is the darkest thing."
Blind and low-vision folks can get this kind of training with no wait times. Send us an email at admin@faftb.com or call 317-909-0286 to get the process started. Our clients continue to rate us highly, with Sarah saying she recommends First Aid for the Blind "120 percent!"
Comments