Donna B. Pugh, regained her eyesight after 8 years of existing in the dark. To say she lived in the dark would be an overstatement since Donna states in her own words how she blocked everyone out during this difficult time in her life.
Sometimes when we lose faith, there is someone nearby who keeps the flame of hope alive. For Donna, it was her daughter, Evie.
Donna and I met on my flight home from Frankie Gomez’s funeral and the story you are about to read is Donna’s and in her own words.
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I guess because I have lived it, I don’t believe it to be interesting. But anyway, here goes.
I have always been nearsighted but I was diagnosed in 1984 with Kerataconus. I went blind in Dec. 1994. There is a website www.kcenter.org That website tells it all. It is a corne a d
isease.
On a dark night in Dec. 1994, I was working as a Flight Attendant. My right eye went to dark grey. I called in sick off my trip and called my husband. By the time we made the hour trip to my home, the left eye went dark grey. It was, to me, the scariest moment of my life. I was fighting to see anything. I was totally out of control of this situation. I had to pray for peace in my mind a lot.
I was in the dark for 8 years. Honestly, I never did learn to cope. I have met so many brave people. I am ashamed to say I am not one of them. I coped by taking life one day at a time and by books on tape. The most difficult situation was giving up complete control of everything around me. Not knowing who was in front of me or close to me. Knowing that most of my friends pitied me.
Nothing was easy. I would like everyone to know, that this long 9 years has made my faith only greater, day by day. I have to say without my faith in God I could not have faced all of this. I was very, very sad most of the time but I always turned to prayer. A regular day without sight was very lonely and sad. I chose to spend my days alone. People with “lives” made me feel sorry for myself and I did not like that so I chose to stay to myself. Maybe I should have ( in the social community) but I refused to interact with anyone. The medical community- Services for the Blind-they are wonderful.
However, my husband stayed with me through all of this. I don’t know how he could stand it but he did. His name is Michael and my daughter’s name is Evie. They both tried so hard to help. In the last few years, I stayed more and more to myself and my husband was there but respected my privacy. My husband became the caretaker. My children were grown and I insisted they have their own lives. I insisted I be alone to deal with this.
We are now starting over. We have shared the spring together, the flowers and even driven to the mountains. I expect to keep my sight with this new lens. I thank my God and my beautiful family for always being there. My faith remains as strong as always.
How did I get my eyesight back? It is a lens. It seems simple but it is anything but that. My daughter, Evie, saw Dr. Perry Rosenthal from the Boston Foundation for sight on tv and she called me. Their website www.bostonsight.org. I honestly felt like I had finally been let out of a dark prison. I could only run down the street and look at every color and every word. FREEDOM AT LAST INDEPENDENCE DAY!!!!
I thank my daughter Evie for finding this doctor for me. She is getting her Doctorate in Opera Performance at Shenandoah University in Winchester, VA. I have yet to SEE her perform on stage. I have been to all of her performances only to hear her and not SEE her. That is my number one dream to see her beautiful face on stage. More than anything I want to find some way to repay her for finding this doctor and this miracle. I went blind the year she graduated high school. I have not been able to help her financially.
She has worked so hard to put herself through school. She is strong, brilliant, talented and beautiful. I am frantically searching for a way to help her in any way for finding “My Freedom”.
I have gone back to work as a flight attendant. My company was wonderful to re-train me. I love my job and traveling. I love life. And I forgot I have a
sense of humor. I talk too much. I love it! And NO these are not too many questions. No one has asked these things and I have not put this into words
before.
Thanks for listening to me.
Love Donna Pugh