Imagine losing your ability to drive, your independence and your sight all at once.
That’s exactly what happened to Claire.
When Claire Shorten, a 23-year-old from Ballinteer, got a migraine for the first time in 2011, she took a few painkillers and forgot about it. But when she got another one a couple of months later she decided that she better go and see her GP just in case. She never imagined that it would be something serious.
Her doctor diagnosed it as a tension headache. She told Claire there was a 5% chance it could be a brain tumour but not to worry about it. So she didn’t.
During a routine eye test in Specsavers later that month, Claire could read the letters and numbers but when the optician asked if she could see the white light on the screen she couldn’t.
To Claire’s surprise, the optician ordered her to go to the hospital straight away.
Claire had an MRI and a tumour was discovered. She was brought to Beaumont for immediate surgery. In the space of a week, her whole world had been turned upside-down.
Following the surgery, her eyesight continued to deteriorate at an alarming rate. At first, she thought it was maybe due to the swelling.
“I just assumed it was meant to get worse before it got better. It literally went from the week before surgery I had pretty much close to perfect eyesight to three weeks after I had nothing. I could still see shadows and shapes in my right eye but it was very limited,” she explains.
Seeking an explanation, Claire returned to the hospital and was devestated to find out that her eyesight was gone for good. To this day the doctors still don’t understand exactly why.
Claire then had to face the everyday realities of being a blind person, including telling her friends and family.
“So after that, I just came home and told my family and friends. I went from being fully independent to being fully dependent. I used to be able to drive my own car, go out the door and do whatever I wanted to do. I totally lost my independence.”
Claire admits the first year was the hardest – not just because of the difficulties being blind presented, but also because of the way others reacted.
“I had to learn how to be a blind person but I also had to learn that people will treat you differently. For instance, I would be sitting right beside my dad and people would say things like ”Oh Eugene would Claire like a cup of tea?” There would be a lot of things like that.”
But through her positive attitude, brilliant sense of humour and sheer determination, Claire began to get her life back on track and set herself new goals for the future.
In 2012 she heard about the NCBI (National Council for the Blind of Ireland) for the first time when her aunt told her that their Rehabilitation Training Centre was holding an open day.
“I have to say from the minute I walked in it was just like a second home. There were other blind people there, people that have worked with blind people, people who are friends with blind people. I never knew a blind person before so it was just a total relief.”
Claire began working with an NCBI community resource worker, who came to her house and worked on the route to her local shop. Slowly she regained the ability travel independently to NCBI in Drumcondra on the other side of the city, for the duration of her course at the Rehabilitation Training Centre. From there, the sky was the limit.
Claire’s positivity has been one of her biggest strengths during such a hard time in her life.
Since her surgery, she has returned to college and is now studying geography and history in Maynooth.
She has travelled to various countries, jumped out of an airplane, taken part in adventure sports and most importantly surpassed everyone’s expectations of what she can and can’t do.
“After being in the NCBI, I’ve done more than I ever would have. Do you know when they say when one door closes another one opens? So many other doors have opened for me. I’ve been skiing, I never thought I would ever go skiing. I was skydiving, I’ve been to Denmark. Somehow losing my eyesight has given me the opportunity to travel the world. More social things are happening with blind people.”
In the future, Claire hopes to undertake a Masters degree and one day become a secondary school teacher. One thing is for certain there is no stopping her now.
“After all this time I am actually very proud to be a blind person, very proud. It doesn’t matter what kind of form we are in. Don’t think about what you can’t do. Think of what you can. The only thing I can’t do is drive and I probably could if I was in a big open field and there was no one around me. In the end, I am very glad it happened to me.”
From the 6th to the 13th November, the NCBI will be holding their annual Dine in the Dark Week.
During this week diners around the country will get the chance to experience the tastes, textures and smells of their meal on another level as they eat blindfolded. You can find your local participating restaurant at www.dineinthedark.ie.
This article was first published over on Her.ie
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