Afraid of the Dark: Dealing with the Onset of Blindness

Like many children growing up I was afraid of the dark. The fear of the unknown lurking in the shadows frightened me. At such a tender age, I had no grasp of just how gripping the fear of the dark could be.

Born ten weeks premature, I was lucky to survive. I had grown from a very unhealthy two-pound infant, into a rather healthy young woman. I still dealt with the occasional asthma attack. I also had retrolentalfibroplasia. This condition is also known as retinopathy of prematurity. This was a long way of saying that I couldn't see well. Doctors classified me as legally blind, but I still functioned well. This was a small price to pay when only given a 5 percent chance of survival just twenty years before.

I had graduated from Eaton High School in 1996 as a member of the National Honor Society. Continuing my education, I began taking classes at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. This was a dream of mine for years. In the fall of 1997, I married my high school sweetheart. I continued working towards my degree in elementary education when we were given the fabulous news. We were expecting, not one, but two baby girls!

My entire life lay before me in a picturesque fashion. I chose to take time off from college to stay home with my twin daughters. My husband gladly worked to support our expanded family. In time, I planned to finish my educational career at Miami University to teach the children of tomorrow.

My vision began to deteriorate just weeks after giving birth. Reading had always involved my nose pressed firmly against a book, but now I needed to make some changes. I enlarged the type on my computer screen and started writing with dark, permanent markers to increase visibility. Within months, I noticed myself reciting stories to my infants from a favorite Dr. Seuss book rather than actually reading it.

Aware of the decreasing vision, I felt compelled to squeeze in everything that I could. Upon visiting the eye specialist, I was excited and devastated to learn I would probably be blind by thirty.