Couple shares fondness for Association for the Blind & Visually Impaired Allegan Support Group
Marcia and Victor Marques are a loving, compassionate couple. They bond over their interests and love for each other, their careers, and overcoming, with elegance and wisdom, various challenges in life – namely, their respective visual impairments.
Marcia was born and raised in Michigan. She was first diagnosed with blindness at the age of two, after a case of the chicken pox lead to the discovery of her having Retinoblastoma, a rare form of eye cancer in children. After radiation treatment, Marcia eventually had to have both eyes removed to prevent further complications.
Victor, now living in Michigan with Marcia, is originally from Vancouver. Though Victor had always been diagnosed as “low vision,” he was still able to navigate independently without much assistance. He did not fully lose his eye sight until 2010, when a sudden and quickly progressing onset of symptoms from Leber Congenital Amaurosis worsened his eyesight to almost complete blindness.
Married since 2016, Victor and Marcia and each of their guide dogs live in Kalamazoo while working at Renewed Hope Health Clinic in Allegan. Though their commute to Allegan from home is a bit of a trek, Marcia and Victor make sure to always attend the Associaton for the Blind and Visually Impaired (ABVI) support group in Allegan as well.
“We would really like to see people who are… maybe reluctant to attending or trying new things come and learn about the group and have a place to kind of share their low vision experiences,” said Marcia.
Marcia, having been a member of this support group since its beginning in 2004, now attends with Victor by her side, as they both share their stories, experiences, commentary, and wisdom with the other group members.
“I see it as a bit of an opportunity to share and I like to share what I know with other people,’ Victor said. “I’m fairly proficient with technology, and I’m actually going into a teaching field, so I find the experience valuable to just be around people and share and help them if they need some direction.”
Marcia and Victor both have amazing stories and insights, and ABVI’s support group is the perfect outlet for them to share them with others. They encourage anyone who is curious about the group or curious about sharing their own vision loss experience to come and learn more.
“We hope our story can influence somebody to get out there and try and use the support of the vision support group, and we’re happy to be there sharing with people and encouraging them,” said Victor.
“Or even, crying with them when they’re crying, or laughing with them when they’re laughing,” Marcia added.
“I received “awesome” support from ABVI’s professional staff”
In 1992, Denise found herself struggling with significant vision loss, diagnosed with Hereditary Optic Neuropathy.
“Vision loss has caused me to develop strong life skills”
Overcoming the obstacles of vision loss.
For the past forty years I have been legally blind. As a young adult I was diagnosed with Stargardt disease, which is the most common form of inherited juvenile macular degeneration. Stargardt disease causes blind spots in the central retina which makes focusing difficult.
Confident in his own ability to live an independent life
Peter’s philosophy is to be active. His favorite quote is “if life gives you a lemon, make lemonade”. He puts those words into action, defying his vision challenge.
Entrepreneur, Employer and 24 year-old who happens to be blind
Tanis was born at 24 weeks and weighed 1lb. 9 oz. He remained at Spectrum Hospital for 99 days after birth. His parents, Leslie and David, were told that he would be visually impaired or blind due to premature birth.
Each morning when I wake up, my vision has changed from the night before
Brandon is enjoying a special time of his young, adult life. He’s 32,Both he and his wife are also successfully employed. He’s at Old Orchard in Quality Assurance and his wife is a kindergarten teacher in a nearby school. Together, they have years of life ahead as a young family. married to his college girlfriend and, together, expecting their first child.
“I’m reliving my childhood and loving it”
Brad ice skated as a young boy. He enjoyed the sport with family and friends. Brad also watched skating on television until his teen years, when his vision was still fairly good. Around that time, he was diagnosed with Retinitis Pigmentosa. As his vision gradually declined, he eventually gave up skating.
Brad’s now 50 years of age, and he’s back on the ice.
“Don’t give up”
Bill lost sight in his left eye at the age of 9, from a tragic accident. The tip of a fishing pole hit the eye. Then in high school, a baseball team member threw a ball it errantly hit Bill’s right eye. He was left with 15% useful sight in that eye.
These two incidents would change any person’s view of their future. After all, college baseball coaches were watching Bill’s pitching with the potential for a scholarship. That would never happen now. And it was especially painful because his parents didn’t have the financial means to pay for his future education. It would have been easy for Bill to decide that life didn’t have much to offer. But he wasn’t going to let these challenges dictate his future.
“Go confidently in the direction of your dreams….”
When your entire life has been focused on a dream, of working to help make technology more accessible for blind and visually impaired individuals, this is simply a statement of passion.
“No one told me what I couldn’t do”
When her daughter, Kathy, learned about Pauline’s diagnosis, their family had a meeting to discuss how they could help their mother. As Kathy explained, “It broke my heart when I learned my mother couldn’t read”
Student Travel Abroad with a Disability
I have been a long-time client of the Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired, participating in the “STEPS” (Successful Teens Exploring Positive Skills) program as well as “Summer in the City”. Through these experiences, I learned numerous and crucial skills to be independent both in my home and out on the streets.
“I want to be proactive about my vision loss”
Lisa’s a busy individual…grad student, flautist, mother of a teenage boy and wife. She’s also doing everything possible to utilize her diminished vision, to live a full life.
“Don’t give up on challenges in Life”
Ruth Ann exemplifies a “can do” spirit. With technology devices prescribed by ABVI’s doctor, and in-home Vision Rehabilitation from our professional team, she continues to live a full life.
Living independently with Macular Degeneration
This past year, Jessie was having a difficult time with her night vision and reading the smaller words on traffic signs. She knew her vision was getting worse due to advancing Macular Degeneration.
A strong Faith Community provided “new Vision”
33 years of dedicated service would provide any teacher with wonderful memories and special accomplishments with students and their families. And certainly, Ed has many. Unfortunately, his teaching position came to a sudden conclusion well before he intended.
“ABVI changed my life…it gave me back my independence”
Roxy found herself struggling to read her mail, books and manage her bills. Glaucoma and Wet Macular Degeneration had severely damaged her vision. She followed her doctor’s advice and came to ABVI for help.