Jackie,
Really inspiring! Thanks for sharing. And thanks Dominique for ensuring that we
all read it.
All the best,
Cearbhall
m +353 (0)833323487 Ph: _353 (0)1-2864623 e: cearbhall.omeadhra@xxxxxxx
-----Original Message-----
From: fb-exchange-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <fb-exchange-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> On
Behalf Of Kenneth Walsh
Sent: Saturday, November 6, 2021 6:22 PM
To: fb-exchange@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [fb-exchange] Re: FW: [Irlcom] I’ve been going blind since I was 16 –
treat me the same as everyone else, says Donegal woman
Jackie
What a fantastic article.
All The Best,
Ken
On 6 Nov 2021, at 16:35, Dominique Farrell <dominiqueafarrell@xxxxxxxxx>===========================================================
wrote:
Lovely article my good friend! Thought to share it with you all!
From: irlcom@xxxxxxxxx <irlcom@xxxxxxxxx> On Behalf Of Tony Sweeney
Sent: 6 November 2021 10:17 am
To: irlcom@xxxxxxxxx
Subject: [Irlcom] I’ve been going blind since I was 16 – treat me
the same as everyone else, says Donegal woman
I’ve been going blind since I was 16 – treat me the same as
everyone else, says Donegal woman
A WOMAN who started losing her sight at 16 has urged people to treat
those with sight loss the same as everyone else.
Jackie McBrearty, from Donegal, was diagnosed with Retinitis
Pigmentosa three years ago, after trying to ignore her failing sight for a
long time.
Jackie McBrearty has Retinitis Pigmentosa and Sasha helps her She had
never really been able to see at night and was short-sighted but when
she turned 16, it got much worse.
Jackie said what she wasn’t aware of until is that her mother had
spoken to a specialist when she was a child and knew she would lose
her sight around that age.
But her mother said she hadn’t wanted Jackie to dwell on it and
wanted her to get on with living her life.
Today Jackie can see nothing in her right eye and only shades of light
and dark in her left eye.
Despite several surgeries over the years to try and slow down the loss
of sight, she can now only see what she calls spotlights in her eye.
Thankfully she had good people around her: “When I first lost my
sight at age 16 my family didn’t change their attitude to me.
"They treated me the exact same. Life is the same as having your
sight, except you just have to do things differently.†Jackie says
her sight loss has made her determined to live independently and
fully.
She said: “I moved to Sligo when I was 18 to a hostel for people
training in the NTDI centre.
"Then I got a flat and a house. I went to Sligo Institute of
Technology and undertook a degree in social care.†Originally Jackie
had tried to hide her disability, even hiding her cane, but in 2007,
she was matched with her first guide dog, Bangles.
She added: “I now fully accepted my sight loss. In fact, it felt
like a coming out for me!†'GARDAI HELPED WALK MY GUIDE DOG'
For Jackie, her three guide dogs – Bangles, Rhum and Sasha – have
had a profound impact on her life.
She continued: “My guide dogs have changed my life for the better.
They have inspired me, kept me company, and given me so much freedom.
"I went from being scared to go walking, to walking along listening to
audio books and relaxing. Having them has been an ice breaker with
people too.
“Gardai were also a massive help during Covid. I rang them up and
explained my guide dog needed a proper run off the leash.
"Normally I would have a friend or family member who could do that but
it wasn’t feasible during the pandemic.
"The guards were just great, coming every day during lockdown. They
still pop in to say hello which is great.†SIGHT LOSS STATS Most
recent statistics show that there are almost 272,000 people in Ireland
living with sight loss.
But Jackie, who now lives in Sligo, said she wishes other people would
be more accepting of those who are blind.
She said: “Sight loss doesn’t change or define a person.
"People are afraid of saying or doing the wrong thing. Just treat
someone the same way as you did before they lost their sight.â€
Fighting Blindness is holding a virtual public engagement day tomorrow
from 10am to 2pm as part of the two-day internationally-renowned
Retina conference event from November 5-6.
REGISTRATION is free at www.fightingblindness.ie
<http://www.fightingblindness.ie> .
The Irish Sun
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