Blind Woman Cries After Seeing Guide Dog for Very First Time Thanks to Special Glasses
For nearly two decades, 48-year-old Mary Sedgwick’s sight completely faded away.
In 1997, the former physician was diagnosed with bilateral optic neuritis — a degenerative visual impairment characterized by the inflammation of the optic nerve. Mary explained that it was “like watching a movie that was slowly fading away.”
“The best way to describe it is like [staring] into a fogged mirror after a shower; for able-sighted people wiping away the fog allows them to see clearly, but for me the fog never goes away,” she explained.
By 2004, Mary awoke in fear one morning to complete darkness. The legally blind woman quickly fell into depression, unable to cope with the complete loss of her sight.
For the next six years, Mary hid herself from the world, feeling as if she’d lost her sense of purpose.
“Going from working some 80-hour weeks to being able to do nothing at all made me feel worthless,” she said.
But one day in 2010 changed everything.
Mary was introduced to a golden retriever guide dog named Lucy. The two were instantly attached at the hip, and Mary felt as if she’d found her “meaning to life” again.
“But when Lucy came leaping into the room for the first-time and knocked me off my chair, I knew she would be the one to carry on with my journey and find my freedom once again.”
Mary went back out into the world, having been given her freedom once again.
She’d often wondered what her furry friend looked like. However, she never let herself believe that she’d be able to see Lucy one day.
Advancements in medicine have allowed Mary to see faint shapes and colors, but things were never clear enough to make out.
“Over the past several years I have not allowed myself to think about being able to see again with vibrant colours and clarity, because I believe it would no longer be possible,” she said.
“At the same time, there was always a seed within me that had never given up hope.”
And in 2018, that tiny seed of hope blossomed. One of Mary’s friend’s reached out to eSight, a company that has created revolutionary eye wear to help the legally blind see.
“The glasses house a high-speed, high-definition camera that captures everything you’re looking at and shows it on two, near-to-your-eye displays,” Mary’s page on eSight reads. “Medical algorithms enhance the footage so you can see in real-time.”
Although Mary was reluctant at first, she decided to try the glasses out. With Lucy by her side, she put them on, and some of her remaining residual vision was restored.
Looking down at her beloved guide dog and seeing her for the very first time, Mary broke down in tears.
“In the moment that I looked down to see Lucy’s beautiful, soulful eyes, [I knew] that my life was going to change in drastic measures,” she said. “The sensation of my brain firing signals after years of silence was truly mind-blowing.”
“I wasn’t able to control the flood of tears and my whole body was shaking — I exploded with joy as I got a glimpse into just how much my life could change. Having the eSight allowed me to see the love in Lucy’s eyes and that was a blessing and gift I’ll always treasure.”
Mary is now fundraising to purchase a pair of eSight glasses, setting her sights on what her future can now hold.
“Every moment since trying on the glasses has been a struggle, as I know how much they could change my life and allow me even to practice in the medical industry again,” she said.
Once Mary reaches her fundraising goal of $9,995, she hopes to begin fundraising to bring hope to others like her.
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