The first is from a colleague in the United States:
Subject: Ambition
A blind boy paid his way to a master's degree at Northwestern University by taking notes on class lectures in Braille, typing them, and selling copies to classmates who had stronger eyes but weaker ambition.
One of the great mysteries of life is why some people who seem to have all the advantages -- the right connections, education, and experience -- never seem to amount to much while others who have had to struggle for everything they have reach incredible heights of success. It hinges on determination. If you have the will to succeed, you will somehow find a way, regardless of the obstacles you encounter. Do you use all of your assets to achieve your goals, or are you handicapped by your lack of ambition? No other person can create in you a desire to succeed. With enough motivation, you will see things all around you that will help you reach your objectives, things that you may have overlooked many times before.
The other e-mail is from a dear colleague in Canada who is a real hero and a true inspiration to me. She wrote the following e-mail to encourage her family, friends and colleagues to support her fundraising efforts:
Subject: Meaning and Purpose
My good friend Caroline noted last month that while I’m quite capable of promoting the cause of vision research, she has never heard me publicly share on a personal level what vision loss has meant to me. I’ve pondered for a few weeks now how to approach this subject. How could I articulate my personal struggles and stay true without invoking pity? What enables me to remain content and active despite gradually going blind?
The raw truth is it’s been a real struggle to get to the happier place I find myself in today; enjoying life to the fullest! I’ve certainly passed through all stages of grief; denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance... And through the process, I’ve found meaning and purpose. And just maybe; just maybe; I’ve even come so far as owning my vision loss.
Of course, there were times when I was knocked down to the floor and seriously considered staying there. I often found myself being forced to relearn tasks in my late twenties that I had already mastered back in grade school. Today, reading is now entirely an audio experience. Understanding intent requires filling in missed body language. Shopping for clothes involves offering to be someone’s Barbie doll for the day. Cooking requires measuring ingredients by touch. Running is now a team effort with my running guide. Cycling now involves boarding a tandem bike.
Thankfully, I’ve managed over time to find adventure and humour in every one of these new life challenges. I’ve also embraced the role of an unlikely educator and hope that those around me are internally richer because of it.
There are still occasional punches to the gut that come unexpectedly… When your nephew bypasses you for help with putting his favorite DVD on because he knows; or when you break a family heirloom because you’re so darn clumsy. Most other things can be laughed off or even embraced; when you mistakenly get a swig of Heinz ketchup because you thought you were grabbing your Ice tea bottle from the pub table; or being mistaken as a snob for not responding to greeting gestures across the street from people I’ve just met.
Finding meaning in vision loss has only been possible by turning my disability into a lifetime opportunity. This is why I am so passionate about Cycle for Sight and the cause of raising funds for treatments for eye disease. It’s gone far beyond the high likelihood that I will live to see the day when sight is restored. Beyond driving that dream closer to reality, it’s given my life and the lives of many others in the same predicament meaning and purpose.
It’s in this spirit that I ask you to support my efforts as of this uplifting grassroots event through a personal pledge. Whether you give $10 or $100, your donation will help advance vision research aimed at restoring the gift of sight to people living with eye disease. To donate, please visit http://www.cycleforsight.ca/
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