Through Our Eyes: Q&A with Tracie Thompson
Have you ever wanted to ask someone who is blind about their experiences, but weren’t sure how? In this edition of Through Our Eyes, I sit down with Tracie Thompson, one of Alphapointe’s newest clients, to talk about her journey with vision loss and how she has learned to adapt.
Q: How long have you been dealing with vision loss?
A: I had a brain tumor removed in 2021, but even prior to that I was beginning to notice a decrease in my vision. About two years later, I started experiencing a mild visual snow. At first I could see through it if I really tried, but it gradually got thicker and darker, and now unfortunately it has progressed quite a lot, and has become more severe over the last 18 months.
Q: What is your condition?
A: I had meningioma, which is a very common brain tumor, and visual snow syndrome, which I’ve come to find out is an extremely rare condition.
Q: What has the experience of losing your vision been like?
A: Thankfully, I have a wonderful circle of friends and family that act as a great support system, so the personal struggles were limited. Having said that, I tried to stay acclimated in the sighted world as long as I could, and it was very difficult for me to finally admit that I was disabled. I have always been hyper independent and being able to get where I wanted to go, be where I needed to be, being able to drive was a symbol of that independence, and losing that was one of the hardest parts of vision loss for me.
Professionally, I hung onto my career in nursing as long as I could, but ultimately, I finally had to let go.
There was a definite grieving process, and I did seek counseling, but what helped me the most in dealing with the loss, and the pain that came with that loss was my faith, and my relationship with God.
Q: What do you hope to learn while at Alphapointe?
A: My ultimate goal is to be completely independent and fully acclimated into the visually impaired and blind community, (both professionally and personally). Whether I am working a job that requires computer knowledge, going to an art fair on a weekend, traveling, cooking for friends and family, I want to be able to do all of that and more entirely independently. I want to learn to read braille. I love audio books, but I want to be able to read and not be read to. I want to be able to turn the pages in a book, just like I am turning the pages in my life. As far as my experience at Alphapointe so far, I walked in and felt like I had found my people. Before coming here, I had never seen anyone with a cane besides myself, and all the sudden everyone around me has their own cane, and their own story and journey that they have traveled. My whole life all of my friends and family have been sighted, but when I got to Alphapointe I said to myself, ‘This is my community, these are my people.’
Q: What is the message you have for others facing vision loss as adults?
A: The most important message I can give is to maintain a good attitude, an optimistic outlook, and a good support system of close friends and family. I have always been one of those people that is able to look for the good in every situation, and it hasn’t always been easy. I have shed many tears over the losses that have been a result of me losing my vision, but I have gained just as much as I’ve lost, and looking at those positives is what has truly helped me move forward with my life.
If you or someone you know is experiencing vision loss, or you would like to learn more about Alphapointe, it’s services, and how you can contribute to others like Tracie experiencing vision loss, visit www.alphapointe.org.
