I DID IT! Yesterday I took the bus from the hospital home all by myself! I almost started to cry with so much emotion while on the bus. It is a good thing I had on my sunglasses. My heart was filled with such empowerment.
I have built many little skills over the past months. I set a goal at the beginning of this year to be able to at least travel on affixed route independently. It began with navigating to the bus stop and back. I then travelled via bus to the hospital with a friend. We mapped out the best way to get to the bus stop from the lab. I asked the driver if I had to transfer downtown. I have learned that every route is different and sometimes I need to transfer and other times I don’t. I then had to search for courage.
I waited for a day when I was home alone. I love my partner, however he is quick to do too much. I did get a ride to the hospital not sure if I had the capacity to ride with all the school riders in the morning. I arranged a plan B in case I ran into troubles. When I finished with the lab, I checked my transit app to find the bus would arrive outside Peace Villa in 15 minutes. I had all my tech. My lidar detection on my I-phone, my navigation app open, my meta smart glasses with bone conduction headphones and off I went. The bone conduction headphones allow me to hear my surroundings. As I headed towards the Peace Villa entrance a very kind man inquired about my vision and asked where I was going. Somehow together we decided to walk that way together. Sometimes I miss the hallway and get tangled in the main lobby seating area. He helped me to the bench directly opposite the bus stop. Thank-you kind sir!
It has been a process to put down my badge of fierce independence. I am learning to ask for help. For now, I probably ask for help before it is needed, but it keeps my anxiety calm. I checked my phone and had only 9 minutes to wait. Sadly, it was quite snowy. I made it on the bus and discovered that I would need to transfer downtown. The driver confirmed the seat adjacent to the front door was available for me to sit. I asked the driver to wait until I was seated. When I arrived downtown the driver asked the incoming passengers to wait for me to get off the bus. He shamed them for not moving out of my way as my cane found them. He helped me get on the second bus.
I got the grand tour of FSJ. I was at Canadian Tire, Tahltan Road, the Mall, Walmart, and back downtown before heading to my neighbourhood. The driver explained to me where each bus stop was relative to a landmark. One of the passengers saw me touch the stop button and let me know I hadn’t pushed it hard enough. I thanked them and explained that I had just wanted to see where it was. I made it to my stop and then the trickery began.
I have no experience navigating with my cane in the snow. I live two blocks from the bus stop. One of the street crossings is tricky under ideal conditions. I missed my landmark and became slightly disoriented. I did not explore more. I was feeling a bit overloaded by the icy sidewalk and no tactile feedback. I thought I was at my crossing, but the traffic noise did not add up. My neighbourhood is quite safe, and the traffic is slow for a school zone. I facetimed a friend and got it all sorted out.
My gloved hands were cold by the time I arrived home. I found a delivery at the front door.
I did it! I am gaining valuable experience with each journey. Sadly, I won’t be out on my own to much in the snow. I will save that for another time.
Edwina Nearhood is a long time Fort St. John resident sharing her vision loss journey. Please remember, every person’s vision loss experience is as unique as they are.
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