A Usher Syndrome story

When I was twenty-one years old, I was diagnosed with Usher Syndrome Type II (part of the Retinitis Pigmentosa family).

As a young adult, I had two passions: writing (both as a fiction writer and as a journalist) and sports. Once I received the diagnosis, I gave up on both. How could I pursue a career in either when I was both legally blind and hearing impaired? What good would I be to others when there were more able-bodied and proficient people to do the same jobs?

Now, twenty-some years later, I’ve changed the way I looked at my disabilities. Instead of feeling inferior to the rest of the world, I decided to go back and reclaim my dreams despite my disabilities.