Stupid Guest Tricks

T-shirt bought recently at Dragoncon-


Geek Orthodox

Hey all,

just wanted to tell you guys that I've been thinking of you and all the encouragement you've given to me throughout not only my dad's illness last year but this ordeal with my eyes. I wanted to give you an update from my last doctors visit- vision correction with the plus eight lens and bi-focals (which I've yet to get I'm waiting until after second surgery as they'll be expensive)...can be nearly 20/30 in the left eye. Yes, you read that right. with lenses and glasses that could probably have fixed the Hubble when it broke down, they can get almost 20/30 out of this thing. that is incredible. my doctors can't believe it and neither can I.

also wanted to tell you some of the things i saw during my trip down for the vigil- things that I can't even describe how much it meant to see. only i wish i could've been there for any other reason- i was still grateful for the ability to see to get there on my own (a rite of passage i needed to make after having been led all over for so long) and to see...

...an incredible sunset, from a window seat on the wing of a 757 at 39000 feet. A sunset that lasted the entire flight. And when it finally ended and the sky was dark- we came down through a bank of clouds and I saw Orlando, all lit up like a jewel box.

It defies description.

To see the Grand Canyon Concourse, still and quiet, with no one in it but me, and then the light of the monorail coming in through the building lighting the dark in the distance.

To see the castle lit up a night- lights shining on it, changing colors. I realized only upon seeing it and taking note of the towers, the flags, and the structure itself that I have been able to see it as nothing but a blur since at least 2004- through several trips.

Even though Main Street was largely skewed if I didn't close my right eye (the distortion in the right throws off the restored vision in the left) even the distortion of the lights was beautiful. Closing my right eye and seeing it- really seeing it for the first time in years with the left- made me even more motivated to speak to my surgeon next month about trying to save whatever vision I can on the right too.

Seeing the candles at the vigil, so many of them, all lit up against the darkness of the night sky- was something I will remember for the rest of my life.

There were so many other sights that made me cry- the Poly lobby, the monorails gliding in and out of the stations, and the Grand Floridian. Of course the faces of friends from this place were a welcome sight as well- and it really was something almost unbelievable to me that I was able to make the trip on my own after being legally blind for so long.

It is ironic, though, that to get back the sight I have that I had to have surgery that will render me legally blind for the rest of my life when the glasses come off and the contacts come out. Coming to terms with that has been frightening. Not that I'm not grateful- it's just an every day reality for me now that as soon as the lens is out, I'm back to being unable to find my way.

In fact I scared March to death on the way to the airport in the rush I announced that I'd forgotten my spare contact (which was in a different purse) and that I only had the one I was wearing. I had a choice- go back and risk missing my plane (we were almost there) or go with the one I had, which had about five days wear left in it and hope I didn't drop it. I had my aphakia glasses so I knew if worst came to it that I could stay around the resort and still manage somehow to get back to the airport. I am glad to say that I managed with the one lens and only had to resort to the glasses once (to take my bag to airport check in the last morning while my lens was still soaking). Now I have my regular supply of them so this shouldn't happen again.

It meant a lot to me to make my first solo trip ever (aside from one trip to visit march at school back in the day) the trip for this reason. I have to thank again the good folks at Monorails and all the other CMs who made me feel like family. They took such good care of me- you guys have no idea. They looked out for me, they made sure I had everything I needed and offered further help should need arise- wonderful, wonderful people.

I will never forget them, or how gracious they were in allowing me to be attend the vigil.

You guys in Monorails- and you know who you are- completely rock. hugs to all and thanks again for everything.

And I can see well enough now with the temporary glasses and lens to do this...

...in progress...



thanks again to everybody here for all your support. it's meant so much.

hugs to all
bru

Your progress is all good news. You deserve it.

Hey Bru - I can emphathize with what you go through when the glasses and/or lens comes off. I'm legally blind without glasses or contacts (rigid gas permeable, can't wear the soft ones), and occasionally I've had to leave the contacts out for several days. Heaven forbid if there'd been an emergency where I had to drive with only glasses. They don't have enough correction for me to read street signs or even see clearly, especially after dark.
Some day I'll be able to get an intraocular lens replacement but the eye doc says I might as well wait until glaucoma sets in. Yeah, easy for him to say. that could take years to happen. In the meantime my eyes get drier and drier and tolerance for the contact lenses gets lower and lower.

Anyway, didn't mean to ramble on, just want to congratulate you on making your solo trip even if it was for a sad occasion. I'm just glad you were able to enjoy the sights of the Magic Kingdom in all its glory. I know March was worried about you going by yourself, but I'm sure this trip did wonders for your self-confidence.

Hi Bru,

Don't feel bad about your eyes. I am like you. I am near sided in the left eye and far sighted in the right eye. I do have sun glasses to help me see things. I plan to go to the eye doctor and get glasses for reading and driving.

My sun glasses were a challenge. If I looked down, motion sickness big time. The dumb thing I did was to spin with these things on. I came to almost falling down.

You will be fine. ;)

Thank you, February, for coming. I can't say anything any better... just... thank you.