July 12, 2007
Suzie: Hi Jeanette, Thanks for joining us at RTF. First, tell us when you knew you wanted to be a writer. . .
Jeanette: When I was in 6th grade I read Anne Frank’s diary for the first time and wanted to BE her (well, minus the dying in a concentration camp part).
Jeanette: I envied her ability to express herself so beautifully and found that I suddently had a need to do the same. I guess it made perfect sense that I should catch the writing bug at some point. I’d always lived in a fantasy world. I was one of those weird kids who always had imaginary friends and prefered the world inside my head to reality.
Suzie: What about your first sale. Do you remember that?
Jeanette: I spent many years buying copies of Writer’s Digest, scribbling stories into a journal, and dreaming of becoming a write before I actually gathered the courage to submit anything.
The first story that I stuck in an envelope and mailed off was a personal experience piece for a magazine called Young and Alive, which is published for blind and visually impaired teens. I felt qualified to write for that magazine under the “write what you know” clause. Two months later I received a check for $52 and a new sense of purpose.
“Your going to be famous!” My sister Kristy predicted.
That first sale didn’t bring fame but it did give me a much-needed boost of confidence that I really could write.
Suzie: You had a challenge that others might not experience. I’ve met you, and that challenge is the last thing that I think about. I think about your smile, your great writing, how fun you are, but the reality is that you have a vision problem.
Would you mind sharing a little about that?
Jeanette: I was born with a rare vision problem called Achromatopia, which means that I have no functioning cone receptors. Cones do most of the work when it comes to filtering light, and provide color vision.
So I am hyper-sensitive to bright light and see life like a black and white movie. My vision is around 20/200, meaning that I’m considered legally blind. I have a hard time making out details so I bring reading material very close to my face to read and distance is a problem, especially during daylight hours.
Suzie: When did you know what was going on?
Jeanette: It took my parents eight years to find out exactly what I had because the condition is so rare. So my first few years of schooling were pretty frustrating. Nobody knew what to do with me. One doctor ordered my mom to stop treating me like a normal child.
Suzie: That must have been hard for you as a little girl. . .
Jeanette: My kindergarten teacher assumed I was dumb because I couldn’t learn my colors and didn’t look at the pictures that she held up during story time (she actually told my mom, “Maybe your daughter just isn’t very smart”). The school tried placing me in a class for children with learning disabilities, while others convinced my parents to start me on braille and plan on sending me to school for the blind.
Then my Dad got a transfer and we found an eye doctor who “just happened” to be a low vision specialist. He took one look at me and my sister Sherry (who has the same condition–my sister Kristy has 20/20 vision) and knew exactly what was going on.
Suzie: Were you relieved?
Jeanette: The good news was that we had a condition that would not get progressively worse, we were offically not stupid, and Mom and Dad could stop wasting their time drilling us on colors.
The bad news was that it could not be corrected with surgery and glasses wouldn’t do much more than take the edge off. But we were connected with a special teacher at school and could learn to adapt rather than worry about what was wrong with us. One blessing in all this was that I was forced from day one to adapt without a lot of special vision aides.
Since I didn’t have proper sunglasses until we saw this great eye doctor I learned to grope my way around the playground even though the sunlight basically blinded me. I had a hard time accepting large print books and magnifiers when I finally received them. I’d gotten used to doing things the hard way. Plus they made me look different (as if reading with my nose pasted to the page didn’t :)).
Suzie: There are a lot of teens who have a disability of some type. And yet they do very well. What do you think helped you the most?
Jeanette: Thankfully Mom and Dad never took that “Don’t treat her like she’s normal” advice. I grew up in a loving Christian home where I was constantly told that God had a plan for me.
Suzie: And what was the most difficult aspect?
Jeanette: My peers, on the other hand, weren’t always so kind. I enduring a lot of teasing and bullying, neither of which do a lot for one’s sense of self-worth. So my limitations triggered quite a bit of baggage. God has done a lot of healing.
As an adult I recognize that I have a huge need to prove to the world that my low vision doesn’t hold me back (from anything but driving that is). But I now see my limitations as a blessing in many ways. My low vision keeps me dependent on God, forces me to ask for help even when I don’t want to, and has equipped me with a compassion for those with limitations.
I also see that having less vision has taught me to listen more closely and feel more deeply. God is so amazing that way!
Suzie: I think there is a message in your story for a lot of teens. Maybe lots and lots of messages. : ) By the way, have I mentioned that you are amazing? Okay, back to the interview. . .
RTF: Suzie and Jeanette’s interview will pick up where they left off tomorrow on Real Teen Faith. Check back to see what Jeanette has to say. There is more about writing, about faith, and even her favorite color (though she can’t see colors she has one!).
Debbie says:
What a cool lady!
I’m gonna have to “google” her now…
Debbie
Jill Ball says:
Jeanette,
You are a wonderful person and it is fun to read about you. Reading your article is just like I’m standing there talking to you. You are a true woman of God!!
Jeanette says:
Suzie, Thanks so much for having me. I love the pictures that you added. Suddenly I’m craving Good ‘N Plenty. I promise never to send you any form of licorice for Christmas.
Hugs,
Jeanette