Our son, Finn, was born on September 21st, 2017 and from that moment on everything changed. I know, I know, all parents feel this way after welcoming a new child, and it’s so true! Even if everything had gone exactly as planned and as we’d envisioned it, our world would have been changed forever. But of course, as life has a tendency to do, we were thrown a curve ball in the hospital and this blog is the story of that curve ball.
Finn was born blind.
Since finding out, and honestly, since learning to accept Finn’s blindness, I have been so inspired, comforted and supported by other parents in my position. Without them, without their stories, authenticity, vulnerability and willingness to share, I would be in a completely different place than where I am today. Doctors, therapists and of course, our amazing family and friends have been so instrumental in helping us in this unexpected journey (and don’t worry, they will get their due on this blog!). But, none of these wonderful people in our life could truly know what it’s like to parent a blind child, or to be blind. And neither did we!
Connecting with other parents of blind children and in some cases, their children, was a lifeline we never knew we would need. I had a healthy, full-term pregnancy and neither my husband nor I have any vision problems at all. When faced with something so unexpected, all you want in that moment is to not feel alone (while the amount of questions running through your mind are never ending and overwhelming to say the least). Scouring the internet for any name, website, blog, social media page or link to someone who understood what we were really going through was no easy feat. As I now know, children who are born blind for any reason are extremely rare. But, you know what? My husband and I are NOT alone — there are other parents like us out there going through a similar journey, and even better, I found them! And they have made all the difference for me.
So, my hope in writing this blog is that the next mother or father who hears those jarring words, “your child cannot see” (or may have already heard those words), and needs to know they are not alone or has questions like I did and still do (namely, what happens next? what do I do? and will it all be ok?????), will find me too. This blog is for them (and obviously serves as a little bit of therapy for me in the process).
If you choose to go back with me and hear the start to our story, and embark upon whatever it may bring next, I am so thankful. What you’ll find is the story of a happy, funny, loved, loving and thriving child who has taught his mother and father more about life in his first months on this planet than they’d learned in all their years before. Finn is our light, our heart and absolutely perfect. We wouldn’t change a thing about him. Blindness does not define who he is and we will never let it. He’s just a boy. A boy who happens to be blind. Finn sees with his hands, his ears and most importantly, his heart. And he’s taught us to see things in a different way too. We can’t wait to see how he will change the world for the better — one person, one mind and one feat at a time, the same way he has already changed us.
-Alison C.
Seeing Things In A Different Way 