May 29 - Guide Dogs

Today is an important day for Alberta. Yes, it’s Election Day and I hope that you were out there to register your vote. Lyle and I were at the advance polls so that I could register for assistance in marking my ballot. I wonder if the result will affect not only Alberta but the rest of the country as well.

Yesterday was also an important day both in Alberta and across Canada. It was the date for the annual fundraiser for Dog Guides of Canada. Our local Lions Chapter has been supporting the walk for a number of years and this year even surpassed the amount raised in 2022.

Of course, the local Lions supported the walk but also several members of our vision loss support group participated in the walk. For me, the best part was meeting Jaslyn and her service dog, Stanley. Stanley was a beautiful black lab. After the walk and barbecue supplied by the Lions, Jaslyn and Stanley demonstrated some of the useful things that Stanley could do to make life easier for Jaslyn. He could pick up things dropped on the ground, pull open or push closed doors. He could bring his leash and recognize his name, Jaslyn’s name and the names of a couple of other family members. He knew to bark loudly if Jaslyn only whispered the word “Help”.

Jaslyn and her mom also spoke of the Oakville Training Centre where they first met Stanley. It had been a long wait since the initial application for a dog guide and COVID didn’t help. However, when young girl and young dog finally met, it was a good match.

While dog guides are free to Canadians with varying disabilities, the cost of breeding and training a dog and potential owner is about $35,000. Dogs can be guides in seven different areas – sight disability, hearing loss, seizure response, diabetes alert, autism assistance, service dog and facility support.

What a worthwhile cause. I have already marked the date for the 2024 walk in my planner. It’s May 26 and I encourage everyone to think about supporting the program in whatever way you are able.

In the picture below I am standing with my two friends, Shirley and Irma. The bridge where we are standing was at the beginning of our walk for dog guides. 

 

Irma, Shirley, and Sue

 

May 25 - Vision Loss Conversations

Over the past few weeks I have had several – no, make that numerous – conversations about vision loss. None of these chats have been initiated by me. When I asked Lyle, he said that he hadn’t engaged in any such discussions or conversations. So, why me?

I think that it is my own vision loss that seems to act as a starting point to the conversations that I have. Often I might be asked what is wrong with my eyes, or how much do I see. I’m no longer offended by the personal nature of these questions. I know that most people mean well. Often the question is simply a segue to a means of sharing their own personal experiences with vision loss. In the past weeks, I have learned much from this sharing:

• Kevin told me about his mother who had macular degeneration and her positive experiences with CNIB. 
  
• Joyce told me about her own experiences with macular degeneration and the lack of assistance she had received from CNIB.
• Gwen told me about the two young pups she had donated from her kennel to be trained as guide dogs.
• Carol told me of the pleasure she gets from listening to new books on her audible reading machine.
• The receptionist at a clinic told me of the trauma she experienced with detached retinas in both eyes.
• A flight attendant told me of her mother’s difficulties in reducing the pressure in her eyes from glaucoma.
• Brenda told me of some of her frustrations of being nearly completely blind.
• Several friends have spoken with me about their experiences with cataract surgery.

While I can’t identify with the exact nature of any of these eye conditions, I can certainly identify with the emotional roller coaster when vision loss occurs. No, I don’t have macular degeneration or glaucoma or detached retinas or any of the other very specific eye conditions. However, I do recognize the emotional upheaval caused by vision loss. Sharing stories with others who have had similar experiences brings us closer together and I appreciate being part of the conversation.

May 17 - Maintaining Confidence

Last weekend I attended a conference. Now, while you may think that isn’t a big deal, trust me when I say that for me it was! The problem was that at this particular conference I would be going alone, would know nobody, and there were bound to be papers to read and discuss. On the other side of the coin, I was quite interested in the topic and really wanted to go. 

Before the day of the conference I spent several anxious moments and restless nights as I pondered the personal challenges of the day. How would I find the registration desk? Where were the washrooms located? Would the men’s and women’s be clearly marked? How would I manage at the coffee and refreshment table? Would I be conspicuous with my white cane? How would I find a chair to sit?  Who would talk with me and possibly guide me when the group changed to the adjoining room? How would I manage the paper work? Would I come across as someone needing pity or just someone who needed a little assistance?

I think that most of these questions were legitimate concerns perhaps for anyone attending a large event on their own but especially for someone without full sight. In the end, and with encouragement from Lyle, I decided that the only way to answer the above was to front up and see what would happen.

I had a great day! Lyle guided me as far as the registration desk, showed me the location of the washrooms, took me to an empty chair and before he left, brought me my first cup of coffee. I was still too anxious to eat any of the muffins. At the roll call, I was still the only one sitting at the round table at the back of the hall. However, shortly after I announced my name and where I was from, a very kind woman approached the table to say that she and another couple of women were from a neighbouring town and would I like to join them.

Would I ever! I gathered up my belongings and followed her to a table near the front. From there the day went well. The five women at the table might have all had extensive training on how to treat a visually impaired person. They were kind and helpful without treating me as being helpless. I was simply another conference delegate. They read appropriate papers for me, asked for my opinions and offered to get me coffee.

When the day was over, I remembered that people are basically kind and helpful when the occasion arises. I was also a little pumped knowing that I had overcome my initial fears and anxieties. I had moved out of my comfort zone and once again practiced stepping out with a modicum of confidence.  

May 9 - B and B near Rome

Generally speaking, I don’t use this blog to write about hotels, motels and bed and breakfast establishments. In fact, I don’t think that I have ever done so before. However, the B and B where we stayed last week was excellent and so I am making an exception.

Before our return flight to Canada, Lyle and I needed an easy stay somewhere preferably close to the Rome airport. We had finished with our sight seeing and so didn’t want to go back into the city. Our choice on Booking.com was Un Passo Dal Mare. Our decision was made mostly because the establishment offered a free shuttle to and from the airport.

We were so fortunate. Even though our flight was just over an hour late, the promised driver was there to meet us at the airport. The drive to the B and B was about ten to fifteen minutes but would have been a very expensive taxi ride.

Un Passo Dal Mare was in the Fuimicino area, which I suppose can best be described as the suburban area near the Leonardo Da Vinci Airport. Until this trip, I hadn’t realized that the airport, and also our B and B, was so close to the Mediterranean. Un Passo Dal Mare was only a few blocks from the waterfront. We walked the distance that night, found a long paved walkway beside the beach, and ate in a lovely local restaurant. In spite of it being a holiday Monday, the area was quiet and felt completely safe. We saw mostly local people on our walk and noted that Fuimicino was also known as a fishing port.

The B and B itself was great – spotlessly clean, comfortable beds, hot water in the shower, and the next morning an excellent breakfast. The breakfast was an extra seven Euros, but totally worth it. In fact, we felt quite spoiled with freshly squeezed orange juice, freshly ground coffee, choice of cereal for me, and bacon and eggs for Lyle, fresh pastries and buns and a variety of fruit. Our flight had been delayed again – oh the tribulations of travel – so we spent a very enjoyable hour and a half over breakfast and chatting with the super friendly owner and proprietor, Paula.

In a way, Lyle and I were disappointed that we hadn’t arranged to spend an additional night. We would highly recommend Un Passo Del Mare to anyone needing a quiet, comfortable, clean, and convenient place to stay either arriving or departing from Rome. We would definitely stay again if the opportunity arose.

 

 

May 4 - Pictures from Tunisia

We don’t take many pictures these days. For the most part, I am unable to see pictures and the memory of the real thing stands out far more clearly in my mind. However, our tour in Tunisia was special enough for us to record the day and so I am posting three pictures here.

In the first picture I am standing in front of a stone arch. It is one of the few arches we saw still standing in the ruins of the ancient city of Carthage. The arch is quite tall and I think that it gives a small indication of just how impressive the city was in its day.

Being victorious in the Punic Wars, the ancient Romans razed the original city to the ground and built their own city over the top. They then proceeded to build one of the most impressive Roman Baths in the ancient world. While this was truly an incredible feat of engineering, it wasn’t the smartest in terms of choosing a location. The Baths were miles away from the nearest source of fresh water. Not to be outdone, the Romans then constructed an aqueduct over 100 km in length – again the longest and most impressive in the ancient world. The partial ruins of this are still visible today.

It was strange to be standing where all this took place around three thousand years ago. In the second and third pictures with this post I am standing beside a fallen marble column. In the first of these shots, you can clearly see the size of the slab. The outside of the marble column still felt smooth to my touch while the inside was rough and crumbly. The last picture is more of a close-up.

Lyle and I feel very fortunate that we have been able to have this glimpse into the past.

The three pictures follow this text.

 

Sue standing in front of a stone arch

 

Sue standing in front of a marble column

 

close up of Sue standing in front of a marble column