blind insight

VisionWalk Update

I have been a negligent little blogger, for which I apologize. Hoping to have time soon for a meaty post or two, but between houseguests, holidays, and the bajillion pages of case record I'm trying to review and process, it'll probably be next week before I give you anything substantive.

But!! This Saturday is the inaugural Denver VisionWalk. Shattering our initial goal, my team has raised over $10,000 as of yesterday, and we are setting our sights on 11K. The response from our friends, family, and even internet strangers has been overwhelming. To say we are thrilled is a massive understatement.

Even as we collect these much-needed research dollars, the Foundation Fighting Blindness is announcing some very promising results. Last week, for example, the FFB announced results from a recent study in which transplanted stem cells showed a 100% rate of success in restoring some vision in rats with age-related macular degeneration. The next step for this research is testing in rats with other retinal diseases, including retinitis pigmentosa, which is what I have. Human trials are on the horizon (yet another reason to press for broader political support and protection for stem-cell research).

Of course, no update of this kind is complete without another request for money. If you would still like to contribute, just click here: http://www.visionwalk.org/site/TR?px=1079010&pg=personal&fr_id=1240.

Stay tuned for the walk recap - the Usher's Mushers are currently crushing the field for the Flying Pig award!

The carabiner anniversary.

Foregoing the traditional, but not terribly exciting paper gift, Steve and I marked 12 months of marriage by exchanging gear. Carabiners, outerwear, Chacos, and a climbing helmet, for example, plus a toe ring (for me), to replace the one I lost in Greece right after our engagement.

We celebrated with a weekend in the mountains, three days of climbing, eating, wine-drinking, relaxing, and singing the silly anniversary jingle that Steve concocted. 'twas glorious, not the least because it was our very first just-us-two getaway since the honeymoon. Also, we capped off the festivities with a mini-version of our wedding cake, courtesy of my parents.  It was as delicious as I remembered - even better because I finally got to eat an entire piece.

This first year of our marriage has been quite a ride. We've put a couple of our vows to the test, notably the "in sickness and in health" part and the "for richer or poorer" stuff. We've laughed and cried and giggled and compromised, and we've shared a million mundane moments that have brought us closer together than I ever imagined possible.

I used to wonder how couples stayed together for years and decades without getting bored with one another. How they could still have something new to learn, something interesting to talk about, after living with one another day in and day out, and dealing with all the minutiae of everyday living. I get it now.

Happy anniversary, sweetie.