Introducing our #WarriorOfTheWeek, Iris! ????
Spotlight on: Iris Goodwin ???? @irisgoody
“Hi my name is Iris, I am an 18 year old and I have suffered from visual snow for as long as I can remember. My whole life I have seen the world differently than others but walked around like nothing was wrong because I thought I was normal. When I was younger I used to complain to my mom about how my vision was very ‘fuzzy’ and ‘tv static-like’ especially at night, we thought nothing of it since every time I went to the eye doctor they found no issues and told me I had good vision. For a while I chose to just ignore my worries because doctors told me I was fine. Then one day recently I got curious and decided to google my very unusual symptoms, what I found shocked me. My whole life every time I’ve explained my issue everyone has been confused and disregarded it, but online I found I wasn’t alone. I feel relieved and somewhat normal now that I know that there are others who see life like the way I do. I still live in fear about my future because this is rare and not a disease that is very known. It heightens my anxiety very much, I always have thoughts like ‘will my vision worsen’ ‘could i go blind’ ‘will this alter my ability to live a fulfilling life?’. One thing that helps me deal with VSS is my mentality, I have learned to accept that this is how my vision is going to be. It may not be the best thing ever but I have to manage living like this, stay positive, and hope for a better future. I am happy that I can be a part of spreading awareness for this, so other people can realize they are not alone.”
