Our senses are a gift we often don’t think about, our eyes help us see, our ears help us hear, our nose helps us smell, our tongue helps us taste, and our skin helps us feel. These senses shape our world. But what if one of them was taken away? Would life stop? No, but it would change in a way most of us can’t even imagine.
We wake up and look out the window to check the weather. We hear birds singing in the morning, listen to music as we make coffee, and recognize the faces of our loved ones. But for millions of people, this is not reality. Around 43 million people worldwide are blind, and 466 million live with disabling hearing loss. Yet, most of us take our senses for granted.
I never truly understood what it meant to live without sight. Darkness isn’t just the absence of light...it’s the loss of independence, the fading of colors, and for many, the fading of hope. People born blind learn how to navigate life from the beginning. But those who lose their sight later in life? That is a different kind of pain.
I remember one woman I cared for in a nursing home. She was full of life, always telling stories of her travels with her husband, of all the beautiful places she had seen. But then, her vision started to blur, like looking through a foggy window. Over time, the fog thickened, and one day, it was gone completely...just darkness.She said to me, that at first, she stayed strong. She tried to remain independent, but when her husband passed away, living alone became impossible. She came to us, still physically strong, still with a sharp mind. But as time went on, we saw her spirit fading. She stopped getting out of bed. She didn’t want music, didn’t want to hear about the weather. She withdrew from the world. She couldn't understand why she is blind.
Then, dementia took hold. She stopped recognizing the voice of her daughter. Her mind transported her to a time when she was young, waiting for her husband to come home so they could go on vacation. She lived in her memories, believing she was sitting in a restaurant, surrounded by family, planning their next road trip. She thought she still sees.
We never corrected her...it would only cause her more pain.
Her body weakened, and soon, she stopped talking. She stopped eating, stopped drinking. One evening, she whispered to me, “Tomorrow, I’m going on a vacation. My husband is waiting for me.” The next morning, she was gone. She had known. She was ready.
Losing your sight later in life is heartbreaking. You remember colors, faces, sunsets, but they slip away, leaving only memories. But what about those who have never seen? Those born into darkness? How can we even begin to understand their world?
We take so much for granted. The sky, the faces of our loved ones, the beauty of the world. But life is unpredictable. We never know what could change tomorrow.
Cherish what you have. See the world while you can. Listen while you can. Feel while you can. Because nothing is promised.
"We don’t appreciate what we have until it’s gone." – Unknown
With love, 