Don't let anyone tell you what you're seeing

Six months ago, I sat down with Helen Kane - a member of my yoga community and one of the few people in my life who truly knows what it's like to live with Stargardt’s disease.We'd only recently discovered we shared the same diagnosis. She'd walked into my class, told me about her condition, and I said: no way -that's the same as me.In this conversation, we talk honestly about what the journey has actually looked like. The overwhelming first visits to Moorfields. The guilt of telling family. The moment you freeze in a coffee shop because you can't see anything and you're too proud to ask for help. The strange, particular grief of handing over your driving licence. And the unexpected gifts that have come from all of it.Helen has been navigating Stargardt for over a decade. I've been living with it for five years. Together we're both now registered severely visually impaired - and both still on the mat.Since this conversation was recorded, Helen has attended classes and retreats, tried different styles of yoga, and our community has continued to grow. This episode is proof of what happens when you stop hiding and start sharing.If you're living with vision loss - or loving someone who is - this one is for you.In this episode:— The moment each of us found out, and what no one tells you in that waiting room— What Moorfields Eye Hospital feels like when you're not prepared for it— Why the hardest part isn't the diagnosis — it's telling the people you love— The invisible condition problem: we look okay— Asking for help when you've always been the one everyone else leans on— Audio description, family dinners, and negotiating the TV remote— What happened when Helen walked into yoga class for the first time— Why Stargardt’s, in the end, turned out to be a giftThis is not a podcast to rush through. There is no right way to listen.Produced by Anne GouldMusic via Epidemic SoundWith thanks to Sarah Place Accountants, Bury St Edmunds, for supporting the production.To hear more, visit pathwayyoga.substack.comWatch the full conversation on YouTube: This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit pathwayyoga.substack.com/subscribe