Nya first became aware of SRSB when her consultant at the Royal Hallamshire Hospital filled out the paperwork to register her visually impaired, “He told me about the Eye Clinic Liaison Officer (ECLO) at the hospital and SRSB in Sheffield. The ECLO called me and introduced herself and SRSB sent a Community Advice Officer out that same week.” Nya explains her sight condition and the impact its challenges have had on her, “I have Keratoconus, severe allergic eye disease and an inoperable cataract. I have lost most of the vision in my left eye and rely on my right. The vision in my right eye fluctuates a lot due to the conditions I have.

“I was severely depressed and struggling mentally when I came to SRSB. Looking back, I don’t know how I managed at the time, as my children were 2 and 4. I’d spent a long time in survival mode as the children didn’t understand what was going on, but needed me. I only began to process the emotions and stress when I had group and individual therapy at the Centre.”

Our Community Advice Officers’ benefits team have helped Nya file her PIP claim, and our Equipment & Technology team have set up the accessibility features on her phone.

Nya is a textile artist and storyteller/content creator, “Being VI has changed my art completely and I now work a lot more with tactile yarns and beads. I also share my lived experience of being visually impaired online as a content creator.”

She offered to volunteer for our charity this year when we made a call out for Lived Experience speakers. “As I was already sharing my experience online this gave me the opportunity to reach a wider audience.

“Through my Lived Experience talks, I work closely with Andrea and Tracy on training days. Working with them has opened my eyes to the work that goes on behind the scenes and what it takes to make the Centre what it is. This has made me want to be more involved with the organisation and give in any way possible.

“I am a member of the VI running team and we’ve just run the Yorkshire Relay in York. The VI running team has some characters and there’s never a dull moment with them. It’s great to be working towards a common goal.

“I am also a fundraiser and do this through running and I recently completed the Sheffield 10K. Now I’m training for the 21K in April with many more races to come.”

Nya has some thoughtful messages for others, “If you came to sight loss later in life like I did, please know your life is not over. Take all the help you’re offered by loved ones, social services, SRSB/RSS especially the therapy sessions. Don’t isolate yourself at home, give the activities a go if possible. If meeting people isn’t your thing, there’s a large community of VI and SSI people online sharing their experiences.

“It might take weeks, months or years to adjust to life with sight loss. Give yourself some grace and be kind to yourself.

“You can do most things you loved before sight loss, it just takes an openness and willingness to try, fail and repeat until you figure things out. You might end up preferring this new version of yourself, I know I do.”

“I have met some amazing people and *fur friends at the Centre (*referring to the furry guide dogs!). I look forward to coming here, it’s beginning to feel like home. I also love that there’s no hierarchy, I sat next to Joanne (SRSB and RSS’s CEO) for lunch and only found out who she was at the end.”

And a lovely comment about our catering and social events “If you’re invited for an event that involves food, don’t turn it down. I know some timings don’t work for those in employment, or with young families, but try and get to a few socials. You will meet a plethora of individuals with shared experiences that will help you. In my case it was the group for visually impaired parents.”

When asked if there was a last thought she would like to share, Nya simply said “SRSB saved my life.”