The Hurdles

As my final project for my class I read the book Blindsided. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with it. Review it, talk about the main character, Natalie, came to deal with losing her eyesight in a sighted world, maybe. In any case, I am really glad that I read it and it gave me a new insight into those who are blind.

Natalie lives in a small town in Garrett County, Maryland. She has Juvenile Glaucoma and has been gradually losing her sight since the age of eight. I couldn't help but think of the nut job I know, the one about whom I posted in this post. She was from Garrett County, too. And she always thought she was going to lose her eyesight. Oh she went to the eye doctor all the time, I guess hoping that someone would tell her that she was going to lose her eyesight. When one doctor wouldn't tell her that something was wrong, she'd just go on to another, and then another and then another. She was that way with her feet, too of all things! Oh my feet hurt! Something is really wrong with my feet! First doctor couldn't find anything. Oh. I'll go to another! Second doctor couldn't find anything. Oh. I'll try another! How do I know this? I had to drive her everywhere! What a nut ball. Why would anyone LOOK for something to be wrong with them? Why? Oh well, it is just weird. One of her many big non-existant illnesses was self-diagnosed glaucoma. She should read this book. Or talk to someone who actually is or did lose their sight. Maybe then she wouldn't be so anxious to have a doctor tell her that something is wrong with her eyeballs!

If she would read this book she would realize that it's no picnic to lose your eyesight. It's not an easy thing to do, be blind in a sighted world. Natalie has a very hard time first accepting that she will lose sight. She doesn't want to learn Braille or learn to use a cane. And when she does become completely blind, she thinks she may just want to give up and hide back on her parent's farm.

I don't want to sound pithy, but I have to just say, this is the story of a girl with great courage, truly. It is inspirational and well done.