November 7 - Worth the Effort?

This morning when Lyle and I went to see my mother, there was a music therapy program happening. Mum lives in a care facility about an hour north of Sydney and spending time with Mum is the main reason for our frequent trips Down Under. One of the renditions in this morning’s program was Now is the Hour, a traditional Maori song of farewell. In my generation, nearly every Australian schoolchild would have known the words and tune so it was a nostalgic moment when I heard the song again.

However, this morning’s song triggered another memory.  Several years ago when Lyle and I were travelling in New Zealand, we stopped to see the Glowworm Caves at Waitomo. This was one of the top tourist destinations on my list and I was quite excited...that is, until we actually arrived at the ticket booth. It was only then that I fully realized the challenges that might face a person with little vision when touring an underground cave with uneven steps in the dark. With my eye condition, I cannot see in the dark. I hesitated, procrastinated, but finally decided to go ahead. 

The first part of the tour was indeed tricky and I was wondering if I had made the right decision.  I couldn’t see the little lights of the glowworms and I was uncertain of my steps.  Lyle and I fell a little behind the main group and so missed out on some of the commentary as well.  Then we came to a large cave.  I still could see very little but the tour guide explained that this particular cave had the most amazing natural acoustics. She asked if anyone in the group would like to sing to demonstrate the sound. There was a significant pause. I am not sure what exactly came over me – I am not a singer – but perhaps it was just a bit of pent up frustration letting loose. Suddenly I was singing Now is the Hour. 

It was an amazing experience.  I sounded even better than when I happen to sing in the shower, and all the Kiwi and Aussie tourists joined in. Our guide seemed to notice me and my white cane for the first time and from then until we resurfaced I was led to the front of the group.

I am telling you this story because it was such a good lesson for me. Somehow, I had changed my thinking from I can’t do this to I can do this if I try. I overcame my initial apprehension and went on to have an extraordinary experience in the underground caves at Waitomo.  Was it worth the effort?  Totally!

There are lots of instances like this in our lives. I try to remember my own experience with Now Is the Hour.  My experience might not be the same as that of someone with sight, but I can still draw on other senses to gain my own measure of enjoyment from any experience or activity.

November 2 - Melbourne Cup Day in Australia

The Melbourne Cup is the premier horse racing event in Australia. You might be wondering how one city, Melbourne, can be the focus of such national interest, but trust me when I say that every Australian would know about Melbourne Cup Day. In fact, the country practically comes to a standstill during the running of the 3200 metre thoroughbred horse race. Already as I am writing this the excitement of this particular day and week is building. The Melbourne Cup Race is always held on the first Tuesday in November at 3:00 p.m.  It attracts international attention in horse racing, financial and fashion circles.

On a personal level, I have already been invited to three different Melbourne Cup parties.  I have decided to attend the one that starts with a lunch, has a fashion show, a best hat contest, and of course, a sweepstake opportunity on the race. So, why am I writing this in my White Cane Connections blog?  Like many other women, I have been considering what I might wear to the party. It is a dress-up occasion, and for some reason I feel a little odd in my dress-up clothes and holding my white cane.  I’m not sure just what the difference is to be using my cane while I am dressed in semi-formal wear and using my cane when I am dressed in casual gear and sturdy shoes. Perhaps it is the latter piece of attire that makes the difference. For those of us who have difficulty seeing what is in front of us, decent footwear can make a difference. Running shoes don’t lend themselves to skirts and long dresses for the women or formal suits for the guys. 

I did investigate the possibility of using a coloured cane to further coordinate my outfit. My sister, Jill, told me that coloured canes were available through Vision Australia. Out of curiosity, I called the organization with an inquiry. The mobility agent there told me that indeed coloured canes were available on request, but the request was mostly made by young children who wanted something in a primary colour.  The agent said that sometimes young adults would order a black cane so that they weren’t so visible. However, he hastened to inform me that the international colour of the cane for the blind was definitely white with a contrasting red tip. I decided that the red on the end of my cane would do nicely for the Melbourne Cup celebration. 

Below is a picture of me in my chosen outfit.  I am holding my cane in front of me.  The red tip of my cane is coordinated with my flame colored dress. 

October 17 - Using White Canes

October 15 was International White Cane Day and this year the day was a strong reminder for me as to what can happen when I am not using my cane. Basically, I wasn’t using my cane...and I tripped...and I fell!

Lyle and I are in Australia again – this time for a family wedding.  The wedding was in Sydney last weekend and so this week we are enjoying time by the ocean.  On October 15, our son and daughter-in-law joined us and we walked along our favourite beach in the area.  Now, I don’t use my cane on the sand, reasoning that there are few obstacles and that if I do happen to fall, there will be a soft landing. Following our walk along the beach, we drove to a lighthouse lookout.  Lyle and I have been here before and I knew that the walk to the lookout was paved and easy going and I didn’t take my cane. This was a mistake!  It was on the way back that I fell.  I was walking full of independence, and as it turned out also full of foolishness, when I fell face down onto the concrete pathway.  Without my cane, I was unable to detect the piece of timber that had broken off from the side of the path and caught my right foot.

I have no recollection of falling. Simply put, one minute I was vertical and the next instant my head crashed into the immoveable footpath.  I didn’t quite black out but I could feel the blood dripping over my face.  When I rolled over, my son the doctor, albeit a psychiatrist, told me that I would certainly need a stitch or two.

Lyle drove me off towards the hospital. Our accommodation unit was en route so we were able to stop for ice on the way.

The care I received at Gosford City Hospital was prompt and efficient.  I am truly grateful to all the staff there but especially to Dr. Zack.  His bedside manner was caring and calming – just what I needed.  He attended to my head wound and cleaned the other various cuts and abrasions on my arms, hands and feet. To tell the truth, I didn’t even feel the tetanus shot when the needle was given. The only puzzling bit of the neurological exam was when I was unable to see or track Zack’s moving finger. However, he deduced, and I hope correctly, that my brain was still functioning as it should.

I want to take the opportunity to thank Dr. Zack and wish him well on his career path to either surgery or plastic surgery.  How lucky was I that he was the one who drew my name in the emergency room roster.

It is already two days after my fall and I am still taking some pain medication.  I think that the pain in my chest, the tenderness of my head wound, the stiffness of my shoulders and torso, and the stinging from the cuts on my hands and feet will continue to remind me for some days to come of the necessity of using my cane.  Had I been using the cane, or at the very least holding the arm of the person beside me, my fall could have been prevented.  

October 3 - A Monthly Report

Today I am beginning a new trend. Instead of posting on the blog as often as I have been doing so far, my intention for the next while at least is to make a monthly summation. I have very much appreciated everyone who has been so faithful in checking in to see the latest White Cane Connections news reports, but now I think that the blog is due for a change. Initially I had thought about closing the blog altogether, but I am still out there tapping away with my cane, still meeting new and interesting people, and still having my own white cane adventures.  

Nevertheless, I feel that the time for change is right. If you read the last post, you will know that it is a year and a half since the White Cane Connections walks got underway, and already a full year since Cape Spear. I’m not sure what my next project might be, or indeed if there will even be one to write about.  Perhaps just getting on with life with limited eyesight is a project in itself. There is often an unanticipated challenge around the corner.

I am hopeful that the learning journey will continue. I have learned much over the past eighteen months. I have enjoyed writing about my experiences and telling you some of the stories that others have shared with me.

I plan to write my next post during the first week of November and I will look forward to meeting you again with a new surge of energy on my part and with more stories to tell.

Sue

September 26 - Back to the Beginning

It has been a year and a half since Lyle and I were in Sechelt, and a year almost to the day since I finished the walking segment of the White Cane Connections project on Cape Spear, the most easterly point of North America. The journey across Canada took us through eighty-two different communities and we met hundreds of people, all of whom were eager to promote an awareness of white canes and the challenges encountered by people who use them. It was an inspiring journey and it was good to go back to the beginning and revisit the friends we had made in Sechelt.

Bill Conway encouraged me from the very beginning. In fact, it was his idea to begin my white cane journey in Sechelt. He said that everyone began their marathon cross country journeys in the big cities and that I should do something different by starting in a small town. It was an excellent suggestion. Sechelt’s Mayor John Henderson declared the day of our walk, White Cane Awareness Day, and with over twenty others joined me for the inaugural walk.  The date was March 23, 2012 and the day was a total success.

Bill’s suggestion was beneficial in other ways.  Across Canada, Lyle and I planned to stop and walk in many smaller communities. As it turned out, it was a wise decision. For the most part, it was in these centres that the project had the most support and received the best media coverage. 

It was good to meet up with Bill again. He is quite the marvel. He is a passionate advocate on behalf of people who are blind. He is constantly on the go, speaking with groups and assisting individuals. A few years ago, Bill and his dog guide walked the entire length of the Sunshine Coast Highway raising funds for Guide Dogs. Bill personifies the image of a blind person who is both capable and independent. 

Our meeting this past week had another nostalgic dimension.  Standing beside Bill was Captain Midnight, Bill’s faithful canine guide.  The Captain is nearing the end of his working life, and Bill has found a new home for him. In another month or so Captain Midnight will begin his retirement  with a seven year old girl and her family, and Bill will be ready for  a new pair of eyes with a new guide dog – his eighth.

While we were in Sechelt I had been invited to speak with the local White Cane Support Group. This group is affiliated with CCB, the Canadian Council for the Blind. During the White Cane Walks, I had met other groups and individuals who belonged to this association. Probably the most memorable was my meeting with the national president, Louise Gillis.  Louise lives in Sydney, Nova Scotia and when I walked there she had gathered other Sydney CCB members to walk with us. It was a great day. The group also belonged to a blind curling team and when we met, they were wearing their special Sydney White Cane Curling t-shirts. Not only that, we beat the hurricane weather by a good half day and managed to do the walk in dry, almost sunny conditions. 

In Sechelt, we met again with Margaret who is president of the local group there. The group in Sechelt was similar in size and age demographics to the one I lead in Alberta and it was good to exchange ideas with Margaret. That night after the meeting, Lyle and I had supper with Bill, Margaret and Trevor. We had stayed at Trevor’s home on our first visit to Sechelt and I was delighted to see him again. Trevor is a WW II veteran, a world traveller, and a great conversationalist. It was an excellent evening and I can only hope that there will be an opportunity for a repeat visit at some point in the future.

There are two pictures accompanying this post. The first is of Bill and Captain Midnight. The Captain is a large black lab well suited to Bill’s tall frame.

The second picture from left to right shows Margaret, Bill and myself.  The Captain is patiently sitting in front of Bill.

 

Bill and Captain Midnight

Margret, Bill, and Sue