Blind intuition: Aussie mum loses sight days after giving birth to son
A new mother has recounted the terrifying experience of giving birth and only nine days later losing her sight.
During her pregnancy Sarah Hocking was told that she had benign tumours growing on her optic nerve.
Moments after she welcomed her son Archer into the world she was taken into an operating theatre and underwent brain surgery to remove the tumors.
When she woke from the surgery she described in her blog how “my world had changed, I was legally blind”.
“A mask was put over my face… my lights went out and that was my last coloured memory,” she said.
It’s been a year since the life altering surgery. While Sarah has lost most of her vision following the operation, she can still make out some blurred objects and describes light as “my best friend”.
“The best way I can describe it is like looking through a slightly blurred pair of black sunglasses at dawn,” the young mother explains.
On her popular blog Blind Intuition she described how she had cherished every second with her newborn son in the nine days leading up to her surgery.
“I remember every conversation, every visitor, the pure euphoria I felt holding my baby for the first time,” the mother reminisced.
“The sleep deprivation, but wanting to stay awake just to stare at Archer, and take in the shape of his little lips, his wrinkly grandpa forehead, his deep blue eyes...the colour of his skin.”
In the past year since the surgery the mother from Bendigo has slowly re-built her life and regained her independence.
“I refuse to accept my story as a sob story,” she said as part of a passionate post.
“My husband Cameron and I are proud people and don’t see our situation as one to feel sorry for.
“I don’t want to be seen as inspirational for managing to do everyday tasks such as parenting, work, household chores or going for a run just because of my impairment.”
Sarah lists learning to “read braille” is something she still hopes to accomplish to assist her in her new day to day life.
News break – August 1