From sympathy to empathy – I found my purpose

by Josephine Esperanza Malan,

I had sympathy and pity for the blind. Not anymore.
I grew up in a middle-class family in Iloilo city. Being the only girl among five siblings, I was pampered by my parents. My family is everything to me. The death of my father while I was in college, turned our lives upside-down. I had to give up my dream of becoming an Engineer to take care of my family. After a few years, my mother, due to illness also passed away. This left me alone in our home. I felt lost. My purpose in life was banished.

I continued working for almost 32 years to support my siblings. I got bored of the routine life that I decided to spend a Christmas vacation with my brother and family who had shifted to Manila.

When I arrived there, I was welcomed with sad news. JM, my nephew had become blind on his 15th birthday. I was in denial, and I could not find words to pacify JM. I curiously asked my brother why he didn’t inform me about JM’s condition. He said, “I didn’t know how to explain, and it would only add to your grief.”

I was confused about the setup of their home. The sharp edges of the furniture were covered with foam and the hall was left empty. When I inquired about this, my brother stated that JM always bumped into furniture when he walks around and got bruises.

I was shattered when my brother explained how JM attempted suicide when he realized that he could no longer see. My brother said that he had to reject a high-paying job abroad as he could not leave JM.

Later I came to know how Lorena, a blind 2013 kanthari graduate and founder of Future Vision (an organization for the blind), had approached my brother to convince JM to be a beneficiary of their project. It took a lot of convincing for him to agree to this. Lorena explained to JM about their success stories until he decided to give it a shot.

Since that day, I started accompanying JM to Future Vision where I met Lorena, who changed my perspective of blind persons or rather changed my life. I talked with her and learned all the hardships she had to go through to reach where she is now. I was in awe when she told me that she traveled to different countries alone. The way she led an independent life and her confidence, changed my perception of the blind completely.

During my frequent visits to Future Vision, I closely watched their activities. I was astonished to learn about braille and how the blind can walk around independently using white canes. I watched in amusement as the blind children used their laptops and mobile phones.

I came to know that the children were struggling with Mathematics and thus decided to volunteer with Future Vision to help them with Math and tactile learning.  It was not an easy task. I had to unlearn and relearn the way I communicated. I had to verbally describe what I saw. I made different geometric shapes with yarn to teach them geometry.

One evening, a few children ran to me and hugged me. One of them exclaimed, “I passed my math exam! Thank you, Tita!” I was overjoyed and moved to tears. I soon started to train children in different sports activities like goalball and chess. Unknowingly I was hooked with the vision of Future Vision.

I witnessed how Future Vision shaped JM’s and other blind children’s lives.  I saw how JM gained his confidence back. He was roaming around independently, happily mingling with his friends and relatives, and becoming the entertainer of the family. He completed his schooling and enrolled in college. Currently, he is a radio jockey and the president of Persons with Disabilities Organization that has more than 500 members.

I found that there are plenty of blind people back home facing challenges. Having experienced how an organization can change the lives of blind persons, inspired me to replicate the model of Future Vision Home in Iloilo City. And now I can say, I have found my lost purpose.