Shortly after giving birth to her son Archer, 28-year-old mom Sarah Hocking from Bendigo, Victoria, was only able to literally see her newborn for nine days before she went legally blind.
There had been a tumour in her optic nerve from a preexisting condition that needed to be removed, and during the seven-hour long operation, Sarah had lost most of her vision.
“A mask was put over my face…my lights went out and that was my last coloured memory,” the mother said, as per a Mail Online story.
Photo credit: Sarah Hocking
Despite being able to make out blurred objects, she is now considered legally blind.
In the nine days before her surgery, Sarah said she had learned to treasure every moment spent with her newborn.
“I remember every conversation, every visitor, the pure euphoria I felt holding my baby for the first time,” she shared on her blog Blind Intuition.
“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.”
See how Sarah is doing now on the following page
It’s easy for a woman like Sarah to be overcome with grief and sadness after everything that had happened, but instead she decided to be grateful of her blessings.
On a special blog post she had dedicated to her son’s first birthday, Sarah said that even though she wishes for her vision to come back, she had lost it on a high note, and will always hold onto the positive memory.
“I may not be able to see the colour of Archer’s eyes, or the finer details in life, but I can see enough to see his face light up when I am up close,” she confessed.
Photo credit: Chris Epworth / Mail Online
“I can hear his infectious laugh and giggles, I saw the first time he rolled over, the first time he crawled, sat up and took his first steps.”
Most importantly, Sarah refuses her condition and experiences to end up as a sob story.
“‘My husband Cameron and I are proud people and don’t see our situation as one to feel sorry for,” she said. “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.”
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