Personal Story
Mother's Diagnosis
Brenda E. Tenorio
This is my mother. She is a loving and a humble person. She cares for my dad and I every minute of day. She is always joyful and carefree until an incident changed her way of life forever.
Diagnosed with...
Vogt-Koyanagi- Harada Disease
This vision disorder prevents light from entering the eye. It can cause distortion of vision and slight blurriness. If not treated correctly or quickly, it can leave premanent vision loss.
"It was like being surrounded by a big cloud of fog and not able to see anything.
"I would look at people with disfigured faces and bodies. It was like one of those mirrors at fairs or carnivals that distort your face and especially your body." ~ Mother
Coping
"The day I saw my mother cry, I felt hurt and depressed to see my mom go through this type of situation that she never expected to happen to her. As a matter of fact, I was speechless because I never knew that something like this can happen unexpectedly without you knowing the drastic effects and conditions.
How could she cook? Clean? Even work? I asked myself so many questions that were unbelievably impossible to answer.
We supported each other out just like a family should. We always stood by my mother's side , like helping her around the house." ~ Brittany
Recovery
The next day my father and I helped my mother find a ophthalmologist. The ophthalmologist prescribed her with prednisone (steroids) that she had to take for life. After taking the medication daily, my mother was able to cook, drive, clean and even go to work! I was so pleased that my mother was able to recover and be back to herself once again.
What I Learned...
"I've learned that no matter the conditions or circumstances that seem to occur unexpectedly, I always have to lend a hand to my family because that is most important. People go through worse situations than this, so I should be thankful that it didn't get any worse.
It helped me understand that I shouldn't take things for granted because I never know what could happen at any time of the day." ~ Brittany
Advice...
The best advice I would give, is to constantly help your family out with the situation. They can't go through it alone; they need someone who can lend a hand and comfort them. Last but not least, stay on the positive side because if you think about the negative effects then you won't have hope and see the way out of the predicament.