Third Wind

by Tammy Ruggles

Liv Fun: Vol 2 – Issue 4

I was born with Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP), an eye disease that has been ever so slowly robbing me of my vision as the rods and cones in my eyes gradually die off.

I got my first pair of glasses at the age of two, so I grew up knowing my vision was below average. Sometimes I felt self-conscious and embarrassed, like when I had to sit next to the teacher’s desk so I could see the blackboard.

As a child, I never realized how bad my eyesight would eventually become, and my family didn’t make a big deal of it. I largely enjoyed my youth without the weight of RP’s full meaning.

As I grew into adulthood, my glasses became thicker, and it became more and more challenging to read regular-size print. I also learned more about the incurability of the disease and what lay ahead. I tried not to think about the future, which seemed too dark and uncertain. It was easier living in denial.

I attended college with the financial assistance of Office for the Blind and majored in social work, with electives in art and writing — both hobbies from my early years that I loved.

After college my childhood sweetheart and I had a son. Ten years later my little boy’s dad died in an auto accident.

Overnight I became a single mom, in a world that was literally and figuratively getting darker. Fortunately, mothering came easy to me, and I cherished every minute of it, which helped me keep a positive attitude.

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Liv Fun

by Leisure Care
Winter 2013
View Table of Contents

The Underpants
by Skye Moody

I’m turning six, soon graduating from kindergarten. There’s this boy from my kindergarten class who has a crush on me. Johnny Hardman tries bossing me around, for about two minutes before discovering that I’m untamable.
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The Lasting Gift
by Elana Zaiman

What’s the best gift you ever received? Was it the steering wheel attached to a slab of wood your grandfather built for you when you were 4? Or was it the pearl necklace your great aunt draped around your neck at 16? Was it the weekend in Paris your wife surprised you with when you retired? Or was it the birthday party your family threw in honor of your 80th?
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Third Wind
by Tammy Ruggles

I was born with Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP), an eye disease that has been ever so slowly robbing me of my vision as the rods and cones in my eyes gradually die off. I got my first pair of glasses at the age of two, so I grew up knowing my vision was below average. Sometimes I felt self-conscious and embarrassed, like when I had to sit next to the teacher’s desk so I could see the blackboard.

Read More