In 2006, I suffered a devastating stroke following the removal of a large brain tumor. The stroke took away my ability to breathe, eat, talk, hear and move. After several weeks in the hospital during which I was fed through a tube and breathed through machines, I was transferred to a rehabilitation center an hour away from my home. Spending 5.5 months at this specialized brain trauma treatment center helped, and I returned to live at
home in Pacifica with my kids, dogs and friends in April 2007.
My rehab continued as an outpatient and eventually I could walk on my own, return to work and drive! Even though I took my disabilities very seriously and was cognizant of my own driving limitations, the DMV restricted my driving license, compelling me to renew every two years. To comply, I was required to take a Behind-the-Wheel Road test. So, yes, the test most of us take once at age 16 I had to take every 2 years! Taking this test is THE most stressful activity I needed to complete. My independence and ability to shop, work, go to movies, or just leave the house depended on my ability to drive. The “tester” was usually a stone-faced DMV employee who did not engage or smile. The reason I was on the “every other year” protocol was because the visual acuity in my left eye was poor.
I did everything I could to improve my vision: I had a cornea transplant (twice), I had cataract surgery , tried various contacts and really strong glasses! I even tried a scleral lens, which is a large contact that attaches to the white part of the eye (the sclera). It forms a liquid-filled dome over the cornea, which smoothes out surface irregularities, allowing normal vision! I had success with acuity, but I saw double. I wore special eyeglasses embedded with prisms to coordinate my eyes. Update: I never got used to seeing double, so eventually I had surgery on an eye muscle to correct the double vision.
That helped! I spent the morning of my next trip to the DMV telling myself not to be nervous. They’re not “testing” me, they simply want me to show that I can drive safely. Pretend the stone- faced “tester” is SIRI, and I’m just following directions. My daughter, Abby, went with me for moral support and we arrived at the DMV with time to spare. For various reasons, it was over 2 hours from the time we walked in the door to the time the tester came to my car window to begin. He looked at my medical forms (vision-related) and said he needed the original signature, not copies. I said the guy inside said it was fine, so he went to check. Ten minutes later he came back out and the miracle happened. He looked at my forms again and said that my numbers are actually really good so he’s taking me off this protocol. WHAT? Abby and I looked at each other in amazement, wondering if we heard right. The guy went back inside, came out with a temp license and said to expect the real one in the mail. He said I was all set to go! Wow! I can’t begin to tell you what a huge relief that was! We left quickly before they could change their mind!
Looking back on this amazing turn of events, here is what I did to make it happen. Things you can do too! •Jump through their hoops. As much as I hated taking those driving tests, I always showed up and did it!
• Changed what I could. I did many things to improve my vision as much as possible.
• Let friends and family help. Several close friends/family took me to those appointments.
They built up my confidence, told the stone-faced tester that I was a person too, and
took me out to drink or celebrate after it was over!
• Be aware of the reason you want something. If the why is big enough, the how will follow!
• Don’t be afraid to try something new and difficult. If you fail, try it again!
