It is pretty incredible how fast things can change in such a short time…in my case, for example, for the duration of two weeks, several things happened that sent my normal life spinning on its axis.

Well, what were these life-changing moments you may ask? It started with an optometrist appointment, showcasing my abnormally swollen optic nerves as the main feature. This in turn led to me being rushed off to an ophthalmologist, which is basically the fancy term for a specialist. In this appointment, the spotlight was focused on the new roommate my brain was sharing its home with, a brain tumor.

The previous events seemed to pass at such speed but as soon as the “tumor” was mentioned, it was like the whole world stopped moving.  I had a six-to-twelve-month survival chance if the tumor did not get removed. Hey, at least the Doc was giving me a fifty percent chance of making it to that year’s Christmas, so things weren’t looking THAT down. Or at least, that is what eleven-year-old me was thinking anyway….

Of course, it came as a shock to the family but non the less there was no time for processing. I had to be operated on ASAP.  In less than two days I had been to see our GP, gone for MRI and CAT scans, booked into the hospital, and was being set up for getting an angiogram. The angiogram test was a fail as my nerves were too swollen. The next step was prep for surgery, which I do not recall thanks to all the meds I was given to remain sedated throughout the week that followed my operation.

Ironic, how my age represented the length of the surgery. Eleven years old… eleven-hour surgery…. My family said those eleven hours felt like forever. Nevertheless, everyone was jubilant once the surgeon came out proclaiming it had ended successfully. Just a random fact…  My operation was done on the 13^th of May which if you are Catholic, you would know is the Day of Our Lady of Fatima. 

One thing we discovered was that my eyesight was damaged to the point of being proclaimed legally blind. We thought over time it would heal but, no luck, it became my new normal.  I got used to it pretty soon. These weeks passed in a flash although they had the greatest effect on my and my family’s lives.

We all tried to get back into a regular routine once I returned back home. As I was only eleven there was still school to consider but the doctor wanted me to stay home and allow my brain to heal completely. One thing he didn’t consider was that not only was I blind but I was also extremely stubborn and bored with nothing to do at home so I was able to twist his and my parents’ arms in letting me go back to school.

With the new news that I was blind, people automatically assumed I should be going to the school of the blind. My automatic thought was on the total opposite side of that spectrum… I was still able to function like all the abled-bodied people in my school, the only thing missing was my eyesight.

My determination kept me on the path I wanted to follow. All I needed was a scribe and a few concessions. I applied for all of these and once my mum finished my primary school career.  Yes, that’s right my mom dropped everything and helped me finish primary school.  She would copy everything off the boards into my books.  We then purchased desktop magnifiers “Topaz” which I was able to use to read and write. I got my first formal scribe along with the extra time concession thereafter.

As I progressed through my school career, I realized the irony behind my life. I was in an amazingly academic school yet the understanding of my disability was so low. As it was not necessarily a seen disability, excuse the pun, I was accused of faking my disability. I trained myself to memories my surroundings to be able to independently be mobile thus because “the blind girl” was seen walking alone, I was a liar. People would tease and laugh behind my back when I had my ‘blind girl awkward moments. I was accused of cheating because it was assumed my scribe would do my work for me instead of me doing it myself I could be wrong and also how it was unfair I had a scribe at all. But I’m pretty sure that blindness affects the eyesight not the hearing, so I couldn’t stop myself from hearing what people thought about me. Moving into tertiary education though, I found how people are so much more mature and accepting which brings me the utmost joy. I know that there is never going to be a moment where I don’t come into contact with someone that does not completely understand.

I want to increase the number of people that are willing to accept everyone for who they are. I want to obliterate the discriminatory treatment of people who may seem different just for being who they are.

I started Flying Blind in hopes to share my story and experiences to inspire people with disabilities and just let them know that they are not alone. They are people too and deserve to be treated with the same respect and dignity as everyone else.