amazing. woman.
Davina
in Documentary, Giving Back, Lifestyle Portraits, Personal
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19 Comments
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2 References
wow.
Natalie, Becky's daughter wrote me an email about her mom. She told me that she was legally blind but didn't let it stop her from living a very full and beautiful life. When I went to meet Becky I walked into a marriage and family therapy office and met a woman and hesitantly asked if she was Becky. She had walked right up to me and shook my hand. I was thinking, "Am I in the right place? Is this the right lady?"
Over the next hour or so Becky showed me some goggles that she had made to help children be able to see what she sees in her everyday life. The picture above is how she sees the world. She has absolutely no peripheral vision to the side of her or above and below her. She sees only through a little peep hole. Because her vision is so completely limited she hits her head on things a lot, she's fallen down stairs and tripped over more things than she can count, she can't drive, and she walks every where.
Becky has a sweet guide dog named Cricket...they go everywhere together. Cricket, even though she is a young guide dog, is still so protective of Becky. She keeps Becky from falling into holes and being hit by cars. As long as Cricket is on her harness she knows she's at work. She doesn't rush to be pet or ever run off from Becky. What's amazing is that she is still a puppy. The moment Cricket is let off of her harness she turns into a wild and crazy puppy. She runs and chases other dogs, adores getting loved, and races around the yard like a maniac....you wouldn't know it's even in her to be wild when she's at work with her harness on. She loves to work and to help Becky and you can tell that the relationship between them is a special one.
The thing that I love about Becky is the way she smiles all of the time. She laughs and she laughs at herself. Her perspective on her life is a beautiful thing and I love the time I got to spend with her. She sees the blessing in every experience. She uses her own life challenges to bless the lives of others. Listening to her talk about her job was so inspirational; she had me convinced that I would love to go back to school and get my counseling degree. The way she talked about the experiences she's had in her profession with clients who are grieving with personal loss of loved ones, of their deterioriating health, of fighting cancer and the hope and understanding that she gets to give, was touching.
We sat and talked about her life and the process of her losing her vision over her teenage years and into her early twenties, the day she couldn't drive anymore, and the way she looks forward to every spring....and wonders if this will be the last time she will see the flowers that she plants in her garden.
Over her lifetime her vision has gradually faded and at some point she will wake up and not be able to see anything.
As much as this is not something that she is looking forward to, she went for a time completely blindfolded to face that inevitable fear, to stare that tiger in the face and not back down. After that experience she decided that she would be able to handle her biggest fear.
Becky's husband went to great lengths in their new home to make sure that she wouldn't be hurt walking around her own house. He had custom flooring put into each room so that she would be able to tell by her feet what room she was in, he had all of the corners of the walls rounded so that she wouldn't walk into them with her face, he raised the cupboards so that if they were left open she wouldn't walk into them. I love the dynamic between the Becky and her husband...the friendship, mutual admiration, concern, and love...
Becky hasn't let anything stop her. While most people with failing or failed vision essentially give up on living a full life, Becky has embraced it. She is an entrepreneur with her own marriage and family therapy practice, she tandem bikes with her sweet husband in marathons across the country, she gardens, she's raised two children (and managed that without driving a car), and so much more.
Becky's disease is called Retinitis Pigmentosa. To learn more about Becky and how you can help fight blindness go to the following websites: www.fightblindness.org ; www.blindness.org ; www.wardelfamily.blogspot.com and to keep up with Cricket: www.cruisinwithcricket.blogspot.com
Both times I got to be with Becky were a gift to be able to see her life and the way she smiles and laughs and makes the best of every aspect of her life.
true. LIFE.
References (2)
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Response: Maine Therapist[...]Davina's Blog - Davina's Blog - amazing. woman.[...] -
Response: deadmans cross hackDavina's Blog - Davina's Blog - amazing. woman.
Reader Comments (19)
An amazing story and an excellent job capturing it! I love how you used her goggles to show all of us what vision is like for her... amazing to see! I can see that Becky is a strong woman, not a woman who complains about so many things she could be upset about but one who takes her struggles and creates something great!Excellent Davina, excellent!
Wow! Inspirational and touching--I love that you give back so much Davina. Thank you, Becky for allowing my sweetheart to share your story and some of its images with us.
Mike
Wow, Davina. That was really cool... getting to know her, seeing how she does, you illustrated that beautifully.
Hey Girl!
Sooooooooooo exciting! And a HUGE move! Does this mean we are only a couple of hours away from each other now! Yippeee. :) So, now how about that Portland Maine workshop!
Best of luck in your move.
Hugs,
G
Davina -- this is beautiful. I love the picture through the goggles. I'm excited to send it to everyone I know! Thank you so much-- I wish I had been there to meet you!
Natalie
What an amazing story! You pictures are always so beautiful and amazing. Thanks for being such an inspiration to everyone.
What a beautiful story. I know Natalie, the amazing woman that Becky has raised, and I can tell that she definitely has a wonderful mother! Thank you for sharing this story and beautiful photos!!!
Amazing woman...amazing story...amazing dog...amazing pictures!
Loved it!
I loved your story & photos about the amazing Becky Andrews & her guide dog Cricket. Becky is one of my dearest friends. I treasure her friendship & she is a constant inspiration to me. (We met through Guide Dogs for the Blind). She takes on & does more than most of my sighted friends. I love to do things with Becky & at times, I forget that she doesn't see that well. She is incredible. Your story about Cricket sums up her personality pretty well. She knows she has a job to do, but at home, she is a delightful, fun loving dog. She plays a great game of tug with my dog & she wins most of the time! Thanks again for your story. Debi
Millie, thank you so much. You are such a wonderful and gracious friend!
Mike, you are such a sweet part of my life. I'm so blessed. Becky, yes, thank you so much for allowing me in to your life!
Shannon, thank you so much. I miss you and would love to see you while you're in town!
Geneve! Yes, I will be much closer....we need to make plans. :)
Natalie, thank you so much for writing me the long while ago. I'm so grateful that I got to spend time with your parents. They are so beautiful. I so wish I could have met you!
Amanda, thank you so much. I appreciate you telling me that.
Alanna, thank you so much for taking the time to comment. I believe you! Hear! Hear!
Carolyn, thanks so much for commenting. Mike told me you were checking out my blog and I'm so glad you had fun!
Debi, you sound like an amazing woman and a great friend. I'm so glad you're happy with the way I captured Becky. It really is easy to forget that she's blind!
Thanks, Davina. It was a wonderful experience for us to spend time with you . ..what a joy to meet you -- you are the amazing woman!!
Another friend of Natalie's... and though I've never had the pleasure of meeting Becky, I feel like I've been able to through Natalie's blog and this sweet tribute. Thank you.
Best,
Allison
Thank you for sharing this truly amazing story!!! What an incredible woman -- definitely an inspiration!
what an inspirational woman. thank you for sharing Davina.
I am having trouble writing due to the tears running down my cheeks. Becky came into my life after the tragic death of my daughter, Trudi in January 2007. I did not learn of her difficulty seeing until some sessions later. We spent a year grieving and healing and I know I could not be where I am today without her kindness and compassion.
Thank you for sharing her story.
She participated in the fun run we organized in memory of our daughter and as a fundraiser for a scholarship fund. Becky does not let her challenge stop her from doing the things she loves and I love her for that. She is my inspiration and my friend.
Davina -- You are an exceptional photographer! You really captured Becky and Cricket's beautiful story. Thank you for sharing it with us all.
What incredible photographs to capture a truly amazing and wonderful partnership between Becky and Cricket. Thank you for this lovely tribute!
This is gorgeous photography and you have given even more grist to each picture by the words you write in the blog. Davina, you have captured such an intimate look into the life of a partner with a GDB graduate and show so well how Becky's quality of life is improved with Cricket. I have home raised 2 litters for GDB and follow all my pups as they mature. I love for the world (the internet world and beyond) to see what is possible with these partnerships.
Thank you!
I want to thank you for this wonderful article. I am a Puppy Raiser for GDA and it's stories like this one that allows me to let my puppies go. I have raised 9 puppies and it never gets any easier to send them back but I never forget the purpose and need for my broken heart. Keep up your good work Cricket and know all of us Puppy Raisers are so very proud of you.
Thank you Davina,
Diane Groth