Hello Everyone,

Welcome to The Invisible Vision Project’s Blog.

There are still a few days left before it’s the official end of 2019. But, one thing for sure is, this year went by so quickly! If I can put 2019 in one sentence, on the things I did this year, basically, I spent the first half the year trying my best to finish my university degree, and the second half, trying to find answers for my health. That is exactly how the year went, and it leads to where I am now, at the end of the year, I did achieve by graduated from university and, so many steps closer to finding answers for my health. But of course, there’re so many small and big details in between. So, this is the time to reflect on those details in this blog!

Here it is, a year in review, 2019 edition:

In March: Out of a very good surprise, I was given an opportunity by a student in film studies, this particular student had an interest to shoot a documentary about me, and my life as a legally blind and chronic ill young adult. It’s a project that’s a part of a requirement for a course. So I agreed. As I thought, what a wonderful opportunity and an honour, that someone is interested in filming about my life and my journey. During this process, we had numerous conversations. But, the kind-of sad part is that, I never got to see the end result of that project, but I guess that’s OK. I just hoped that it turned out alright.

Also in March: because I knew I was going to be filmed, I designed two T shirts to represent me, and the work that I do as an activist. One of the designs of the shirt is one that I have been using whenever I go to public speaking events, the T shirt says, “Bravely Blind and Chronically Capable.” It is a self reminder that even though I’m blind and chronic ill, I’m still brave and capable! And, the second T shirt was made mainly for fun, and it says, “Super Blind & Super Tired All The Time.” It’s a humours way to look at my visual impairment and my chronic illness.

In April: I submitted my final essay of my final undergraduate course, this meant a lot to me because, at that point, I knew I wasn’t going to be back to school, at least not any time soon. I was very pleased that I was able to hand in the paper on time, because initially, I thought I’d need more time to work on it, since during that period, I wasn’t doing very well physically. But in the end, I did it. I submitted the essay, and applied to graduate, on time.

Also in April: almost immediately after I submitted my finally essay, I started the process of seriously seeking for answers for my health issues. And this, was only the very beginning of that journey.

In June: On June 12th, 2019, I attended my graduation. This was actually my second time graduating. My first graduation was 3 years ago, but I didn’t attend the ceremony then, because I knew I will continue my studies. This was quite an achievement for me, even though initially I didn’t think so. Yes, I did take more than enough years to complete my university degrees, more than the majority of people. But then again, I had so much going on while in school. Especially, with a declining vision, and with my unsettling health, in which for so many years, I had no answers and was purely suffering in silence. In the end, I became a university graduate, and I found my passion in activism. For that, I should be happy and proud of myself!

In July: I received a notification from WordPress that this blog got over 100 followers. Even though, this is a very small achievement, I’m still happy that there’re over 100 of you, following and reading my blog. In my opinion, numbers like this don’t matter as much, and it is not a competition. What matters is that I’m doing what I enjoy and love.

In August: I didn’t write a blog post about this experience, but I did make a Facebook Post about it. I went to hiking with a friend, to a nearby Provincial park. This was my first ever hiking experience. I will say, this was an extraordinary experience because, I normally don’t do activities like this. Together with my friend, we walked on two trails, the first one wasn’t as difficult, and I needed minimal help, and it was also a lot shorter. Then, when we were walking on the second one, we were a little lost at one point, and I also sprang my ankle, so it became very difficult to walk. But, we did it. Even though, there were a bit of tears involved, and some help needed from other hikers. It was quite an experience! So, would I do this again? Probably not, mainly due to many factors involved with my health. Therefore, this is definitely a once in a life time experience for me.

Between September through November: As I mentioned above (in April) that, I started a process to find answers for my ill health. This process continued throughout September to November, and this was also why I couldn’t return to school to be a student. It was just not feasible to me, and I accepted that. So basically, I did what I needed to do, to focus my entire attention on my health, and to take the next steps as needed.

In December: Over the summer months, I was reached out by someone running an external blog, asking me if I were interested in writing a blog for them. I agreed immediately, because I thought of it as a wonderful opportunity. In the past, I had experiences of connecting with other bloggers, so this wasn’t a problem or a difficult task for me. If you are interested, you can read the blog here.

Wow! So this is it, this was a glimpse of my 2019. It was definitely a year filled with ups and downs. But overall, it was a good year. And I did achieve some good things. So that’s all good. And now, I can’t wait for the new year and for whatever it brings!

Thank you for reading to the end.

By: The Invisible Vision Project