Breaking the circle

Chris: a KAB Resource Assistant
By Candy Lawrence

Chris and I first met some forty five years ago. I was a small blond girl skipping in a playground at my new school; he was a strong boy, one year older then me, playing chase with his friends and running at break neck speed after his mates. He hit me at full force and knocked me for six. What I knew at the time was that my knees hurt; what I didn't know was that I had probably had my first encounter with a blind person - Chris.

Chris is a twin, born prematurely; he and his sister required an incubator to live, and were given pure oxygen. This may have saved his life, but it is also thought to have caused Chris' sight impairment.

Chris developed Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP), a disease of the eye that affects premature babies causing varying degrees of sight impairment.

I didn't stay at that school for long, as my parents moved to the next village. I grew up and, after several false starts, found the job I wanted to do and trained as a Rehabilitation Worker for people with sight impairments. Chris left school at 16, married, had children and worked as the manager of a local caravan dealership.

Unfortunately, Chris' sight became increasingly worse. As well as his original condition, he developed macular degeneration, glaucoma and cataracts.

Eventually, he had to give up work and stay at home to look after the children while his wife went out to work.

His worsening vision meant that everyday tasks were becoming more and more difficult. As his sight deteriorated to virtually nil, he became depressed and was prescribed anti-depressants. Having refused all previous offers, Chris was eventually persuaded to ask for help and he contacted KAB in 1993. For someone as independent and determined as Chris, this was a significant step.

By sheer coincidence, Chris' referral became part of my caseload. I didn't recognise the name on the form and, when I met him, I didn't remember him at first. However, I knew his age and, once he started to tell me about his background and the school he had gone to, I worked out that we had been there at the same time. Then that playground experience came flooding back. I couldn't imagine how he had coped in that rough and tumble school when he couldn't even see what was in front of him, never mind cope with lessons. He had done so well, but now it was all being taken away from him again by another loss of vision. No wonder he felt so depressed.

Chris and I worked together over a period of five years. As a trained counsellor I was able to help him overcome his depression and he was able to come off the anti depressants. He attended several rehabilitation groups and had a course of long cane training, as well as receiving help and advice on equipment and IT training.

Chris became chairman of the local KAB fundraising committee for a time, and agreed to help out at the Sight Centre as a volunteer, becoming a vital member of the KAB team.

Assumptions about capability that are based on the amount of vision someone has are often wrong - Chris can and does travel safely with no mobility aids although, technically, this should be impossible (though I did draw the line at cycling into Canterbury, and did not agree with him that it was alright because his son had painted the bike white!). Other people with relatively small sight loss may experience significant difficulties and they may not be able to cope at all.

With the support of KAB, his determination and more than a little humour, Chris broke the circle and was able to move forwards.

Chris now works with KAB as a Resource Worker where he demonstrates equipment specially designed for people with sight impairments, monitors and orders stock, and using his knowledge and understanding to empathise with people who are having difficulty adapting to sight loss.

Chris' story is an example of success through determination and proof that, by not giving up, and with a little help from professionals, it is possible to be independent and to build a better and more satisfying life.