My mother died of lung cancer in 2000, and I suddenly became aware of my own health - I needed to quit eating chips, fast food and chocolate bars, fight depression, and increase my energy. I had a daughter to raise and I wanted her to see her mother as a healthy one. So I started by walking, lost 45 pounds and my passion for cooking turned into a passion for healthy cooking. I saw a runner running down on our main street and I watch her run up the hill effortlessly. She was smiling! I thought to myself 'I want to experience what she is experiencing.' I was determined to become a runner. I used telephone poles as my distance markers; no fancy equipment, no technical gear, just a pair of runners and loose clothing.
I ran around a 3km loop and finally managed to run the whole loop without stopping. I was so proud of myself. I ran behind another runner but kept my distance, I didn't want her to see my struggles or hear my feet pounding the pavement. I knew I was a closet runner, but I was too ashamed of my inability to run like the others I had seen galloping down the trails.
In 2004, I apprehensively decided to join the Radical Runners club. By Fall, I was running with the club 3 days a week and enjoying it. But it was not easy to run with the group, most of the time I was the last one, especially on the trail runs. During one run, I fell down a 20-foot embankment, quickly recovered and ran back up, hoping no one saw my fall. Luckily it was a soft landing, no bruises or injuries. It was then I realised I had to tell the club president my situation:
I have Usher syndrome, a progressive disease that robs me of my sight and hearing.
At that time, I only had about 30 degrees of peripheral field of vision (most people have 165-175 degrees) and with moderate to severe hearing loss. I needed help, especially in the trails, where roots, rocks, branches and distracting light and shadows were difficult for me to see. I REALLY did not want to tell anybody about my situation; I wanted people to see my abilities, not my disabilities.