Tackling disability head-on and building a life I am truly proud of

So it’s been three months into 2024 and my resolve to regularly do certain tasks has been tested. The workouts have been going great, with a lapse here or there, but I am not too hard on myself when I miss a day or so of workouts in the week. Overall, my strength and fitness goals have been pretty much on track and my endurance seems to be improving every day. One of the best compliments I got after I started exercising was that my posture had improved - it warmed my heart that somebody took notice of something more substantial than weight loss.?

My gut health goals are on track too, but honestly, that’s a pretty easy one to incorporate. What I have been tested on is the task of writing this blog. In a slightly different way - I started out deciding to write every month instead of every week because I wanted my blogs to carry substance. This year onwards, I have been pretty good - I have published on the 1st of every month and continue to do so. But because I have been writing regularly, I get these random urges to write sometime in the middle of the month. Staying true to the discipline of doing one blog a month for the year has been slightly challenging, but I’ve told myself - maintaining no more and no less than a month is important, not only for the blog but also to train mentally to make commitments and keep them.?

Okay, a long, long introduction this time around. The thing is my blog topic for the month is one that challenges me emotionally because it requires me to be vulnerable and is super close to my heart. I want to do it justice.?

The day I decided to talk about my achievements?

On March 08, I did a LinkedIn post about all the women I admire in my life and what they all teach me every single day. When my family saw the post, my uncle asked me, “Why is it that you haven’t said anything about yourself?”?

I told him the post wasn’t about me but about the people around me. But it got me thinking, and I realized that I do tend to underplay my achievements. It is something that women tend to be shy of - for fear of sounding or looking pompous, ungrateful, or whatever other adjective society has made us associate self-worth with. This is not to say I am not proud of what I have done in life - I just feel extremely awkward talking or writing about it. But this time I am going to do just that in the few paragraphs that follow.?

Retinitis Pigmentosa

There are many things I am proud of in my life, but the one that tops the list is overcoming my disability called Retinitis Pigmentosa, which restricts my overall vision and makes it difficult for me to see clearly at night.?

What exactly is Retinitis Pigmentosa??

Without getting into too many technicalities, here’s what the first Google Search result from the National Eye Institute threw up, “Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is a group of rare eye diseases that affect the retina (the light-sensitive layer of tissue in the back of the eye). RP makes cells in the retina break down slowly over time, causing vision loss. RP is a genetic disease that people are born with.”?

For me, it’s a couple of things:?

1. I need to zoom in when I look at screens?
2. I need to ask someone for help when I am out at night?
3. I need to make life choices like driving a car keeping this in mind?

Building a wholesome life despite challenges?

I have circumvented these obstacles and managed to build an independent life in Bangalore, rise up the ranks at the workplace to head corporate communications, gone on trips, parties, and treks with my friends, enjoyed a decently thriving social life, and found a wonderful partner to share the life I’ve made for myself - all without making this teeny little thing come in the way of me chasing my dreams.?

How? Well, very honestly, I have never known the world any other way. It’s not something I’ve had to “cope with” per se but rather simply make some adjustments and ask for help when I needed it. These adjustments include gaining access to things that make my life simpler - for instance, technology, which helps me zoom in and view a lot of things and work effectively, or a wonderful support system in my family and friends, and a little bit of a thick skin.?

I am certainly proud of having navigated the things that could have backed me up against a wall and created a life that enables me to be happy and fulfilled. It has come with a lot of resilience, good mental health, a never-say-die attitude, and a burning urge to prove myself. I have always refrained from talking about it openly, mostly because I do not want it to define my personality. The fact that I am doing so now is also because I feel I have achieved some decent milestones, whereby this would become a by-standing feature rather than the highlight.???

Of course, I realize that there is a lot of privilege that has played into building this life. A wonderful family that believed that their daughter could head off to Bengaluru alone despite a disability, a great support system of friends that has always inspired me to see the best in people, less pressure to make a living as compared to others, etc. But despite that, I did encounter some hurdles that could have potentially hindered my progress. I did put myself out there interning late nights at an event management company, refusing to let people know of my disadvantage and work extra hard so I could match up to everyone else at work, refusing to give up on eating out or going someplace because my vision couldn’t support it - the list goes on. That I am pretty damn proud of.?

I honestly don’t mean for this blog to be a “motivational article on how to do x, y, or z” but I do feel it’s one of those times when I don’t really mind if this comes across as a brag fest. I am not here to teach or inspire but rather just to share my journey of overcoming my inhibitions, which I haven’t ever done thus far! :)