Welcome to another edition of Interviews to Empower where we feature folks whom we believe will inspire you to keep on keeping on. This month we are trying something different. We have asked our interviewee to tell her story in her own words. So without further adue, let me introduce you to Joy.
Hi. My name is Joy. I have 2 kids who are grown and 2 wonderful grandbabies. I am a cook at a local restaurant, and I have two cousins who are blind. I was asked to talk about what it’s like having cousins who can’t see, so I will try my best.
I was 8 or 9 when my cousin J was born and about 10 when his sister A was born. They were just babies when my family noticed something was wrong. When my mom told me they were blind I was sad, because I wanted them to be able to enjoy the world like I do. I was afraid they wouldn’t be able to.
My mom, stepdad and I lived with my aunt V and my cousins, because my mom took care of Aunt V before her babies were born. Then, when we found out the babies were blind, Aunt V needed us even more.
We lived in a very rural part of West Virginia and didn’t know if there were opportunities for kids who were blind. So when Aunt V decided her kids needed to go to the school for the blind, we all move to Romney, WV. I was upset, because I didn’t want to leave my family and friends. But, Mom said we had to do what was best for J and A and Aunt V. Today, as I look back I am so glad we moved up here and gave my cousins the chance to learn.
As I was 10 years older than my cousin, A, I was the one who did a lot of babysitting. I guess you could say we all grew up together. But, when it came to having a social life, I sure did get annoyed. Playing hide-and-go-seek with the kids when my boyfriends came over, J answering the phone and telling stuff about me to my boyfriends, yeah, having cousins who are blind sure did interfere with my social life. But, you know, it would have been that way even if they had perfect vision. They were just normal kids.
I am embarrassed to admit this, but when my daughter was born I was scared to let my cousins hold her at first. I was afraid something would go wrong with them not being able to see. But, unknown to me, Mom would let them hold and feed her behind my back. I have pictures of them holding my babies, so I guess I got over that fear. It was just something all new moms go through, I reckon. Today, A babysits my grandbabies when I need help, and nobody could take better care of them than she. Not only that, J is married with 2 little boys of his own.
I always treated my cousins like everyone else. The fact that they couldn’t see, while sad was not the end of the world. After all, my grandpa was blind, I had a great grandmother who was blind and a few other relatives with vision problems. I knew even as a teenager, the ability to see or not didn’t make a person more or less special. Which reminds me of those times when I was lazy and didn’t want to walk J and A all the way to the blind school across town. I would try to talk them into skipping school. J was all for it, but A made me walk her to school. LOL I guess that’s why A graduated at the top of her class.
The hardest thing about taking care of my cousins was worrying about whether they would run into things. Aunt V was always moving furniture around, but my mom rarely did that. Then, once she did move furniture around, and J came in and tried to sit down in a chair. Turns out there was a table in that spot, so he sat right down on the table instead. LOL Now whenever I visit A, I never know where her furniture is going to be, because she likes to change things around. I guess all kids grow up to be like their moms, no matter what.
The funnest part of growing up with my cousins was just being with them. I took them wherever I went. When my own kids were young, A taught them braille, and it made me so proud they could learn something so neat. A person never knows if they will need to learn it. I mean, what if they went blind later in life? I tried to learn, but it took several hours just to learn how to write my name that I gave it up. I probably grew up faster, taking care of my cousins and aunt the way I did, but I wouldn’t trade those times for anything.
If I could give advice to someone facing blindness in the family, I guess I would say make sure they go to a blind school or get blindness skills training so that they can live as normal a life as possible. Also, remember to encourage them that they can do anything they set their mind to.
Joy, thank you for your story and your honesty. And, thank you, faithful readers for being with us today. If you or someone you know has an inspiring story, let us know at adkinsandwells@gmail.com.
That concludes our post for today, but we’ll be back the second Thursday of May, so be sure and come join us. Until then, remember to take hold of life and face it with a grin.
Blessings.
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