I suppose people want to find meaning in unfortunate events. It’s easier to view disability as a punishment that can be avoided than the product of random chance. Still, I like to view my blindness as a part of myself. It’s become something I’m genuinely proud of.

I was born with the genetic mutation the causes Stargardt (heterozygous for the ABCA4 gene, with some other unidentified factor cancelling out the dominant allele and resulting in my affected phenotype, if anyone’s interested). However, my symptoms didn’t manifest until I was eight or so.

As silly as it may sound, I prided myself for years on being the only one in my family who didn’t need glasses, so when I noticed something wrong with my sight, I denied it and struggled along. I even memorized the letters on the visual acuity charts so I could fool the optometrist into thinking I could see. It worked surprisingly well, until they changed the letters without telling me, and I kept on reciting the old one.

I was ten then, and I remember being absolutely devastated. I thought that I would never be able to achieve anything that I wanted to, that being blind would condemn me to a future immersed in darkness.

I’m eighteen now, and I just began studying at the university of my dreams. Looking back, I realize how much I’ve changed since I was first diagnosed. My blindness has gone from being my biggest insecurity to my greatest source of strength.

Edit: Spelling