PIERCE TWP., Ohio — In her home, where Peggy Mitchell’s lived for almost a decade, she doesn’t need her cane.
"But he's out there waiting for me," Mitchell said.
She smiles and tells me she calls it Jalapeno.
"Everyone names their cane," Mitchell said. "It's become my best friend."
Outside, she’s still smiling. The 68-year-old looks both ways before crossing the street. Mitchell can see what is directly in front of her, but not on either side. She’s been wearing hearing aids since 1988 and lost most of her peripheral vision decades ago.
“I try not to think about it,” Mitchell said. “But there are times when I get sad.”
Ultimately, she was diagnosed with Usher syndrome, a genetic disease that causes hearing and vision loss. That’s why Mitchell is walking in a fundraiser on Sunday for the Foundation Fighting Blindness. It’s a nonprofit that tries to advance research for diseases that cause vision loss.
“Currently, there is no cure,” Mitchell said. “But research is key.”
WATCH: Take a walk with Mitchell and meet Jalapeno
Since the first VisionWalk, officials for The Foundation Fighting Blindness say they've raised more than $74 million across the country.
“This world, it wasn’t built for the blind and visually-impaired,” said Maddie Mossman, a VisionWalk specialist for the foundation. “And the work that we’re doing, we’re remaking that world.”
Mossman tells me the event helps connect people to resources, in addition to raising money.
"VisionWalk is so much more than a fundraiser,” Mossman said. “There’s an entire community here for them."
After a walk around her neighborhood, Mitchell bends down over her garden.
“A lot of times, the blind community just gets overlooked or pushed back in the corner,” Mitchell said. “I’m very fortunate I can still see these weeds.”
Inside, she shows me family pictures from before she was diagnosed. I ask if she worries about losing the rest of her vision. Soon, she is crying. She quickly tells me tears are OK, but frowns are not.
Then, she takes her hand and moves her mouth into a smile.
Want to get involved?
You can find more information by clicking on this link. The event starts at 9 a.m. on Sunday, Sept. 27:
Theodore Berry Friendship Park
1135 Riverside Dr. Cincinnati, OH 45202
