Meet our #WarrioroftheWeek, Aaron!
Spotlight on: Aaron Karcher ????
My name is Aaron Karcher, and I am now 44 years old. When I was a little boy, I told my parents I had dots in my vision. My parents did their best and brought me to various eye doctors. All the doctors said I had floaters or I was fine. I had no idea of the journey I was about to embark on.
I have moderate to thick Visual Snow. On a scale of 1-10. I would give myself a 6 to a 7. I told Dr. Steven Locke ( VSI DOCTOR) that my visual snow grew as long as I did. It has not gotten any worse since 21 years of age. Obviously, certain stresses and other things make it worse, and sometimes it seems better. I found that playing music offered relief to me at times. I really thought I would go blind or crazy from Visual Snow. I can now assure you this will not happen. An accidental blessing was I moved from the Nevada desert to the very green mountains of NC. Due to a large amount of green trees and textures, I saw less Visual Snow than in the hazy light-colored desert. I focus on a darker blue sky with thin clouds rather than light blue skies. I don’t even look at cloudy skies. All of this I learned on my own.
Life was hard when I was younger, and the anxiety and stress fueled an addiction. I struggled at times until I let it go. I realized somewhere in my 30s, I would not go blind and I would not go crazy, and there were much healthier ways to manage my anxiety. Today I exercise a lot. I embrace my visual snow from a distance and do not let it run my life. I am completely clean as well. I decided I could achieve what everyone else could. So today, my little family lives at the beach, and I enjoy myself and who I have become.
Today there is hope. There was no Visual Snow Initiative. A special thanks to Sierra and every Doctor and person involved in this beautiful organization. My advice is to use the VSI and reach out to the Doctors and support groups. Get involved as much as you can and know this…..you are not alone, there are many of us, and many of us together is even more powerful; let’s all be a part of the solution or cure.
Aaron Karcher
