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LIVING WITH STARGARDTS DISEASE
Richie's Story
My name is Richie and I am 32. I live in Texas. I was
a 17-year-old junior in high school when I noticed the
chalkboard and overhead getting harder to see, and I
was having a hard time to see traffic lights. I was
diagnosed with Stargardts. My vison went from 20/20 to
about 20/200 in a period of about six months. I
finished out the year ignoring the situation and took
half day my senior year with easy classes.
I went to college and got by without reading anything
and just listening to take notes. I had times that I
got really frustrated that I just broke down and
cried. I graduated somehow with a degree in
Advertising. After college I found out what a CCTV was
and got one from the Commission for the blind. I also
got a copy of ZoomText to enlarge the computer screen.
I took some temporary jobs in which I really didn't
do anything but play on the computer. I really got
into computers after that.
I married my sweetheart from college and now have
three kids under five years old. I stayed home with
the first two and took some computer classes. I now
have a great job as a computer help desk technician
with the local school district.
I can ride a bicycle and I ride the city bus. Seeing
the bus numbers is sometimes a pain, but I walk up
real close to the bus.
I've noticed that my vision has gotten a little worse
in the past six or seven years. I rode a motorcycle
illegally back in college, but could not ride one now
without crashing. I find it hard to distinguish
between some colors now, too.
I hate going to a restaurant and not being able to
read the menu. I hate when someone is waving at me
and I don't know it. I hate when someone sees my
enlarged computer screen and says "What, are you
blind?"
But I have support from my wife. And my kids
understand that I can't read to them or play baseball
with them. Overall it really sucks and I have many
emotional frustrating times, but I learn to live with
it. It is good to know others are out there too.
Richie
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