Debbie Havens

Having been diagnosed with macular degeneration in March of 2019, it has been two years plus of retinal specialist appointments. Simple eye chart and eye pressure test, followed by intense...

I do not pretend to know a lot. Most days, Google is my go-to for information that I feel I need to know at any given time. What an advantage...

Recently I had my six-week check-up for my macular degeneration. Nothing out of the ordinary was going on. My vision felt pretty stable as a matter of fact, which is...

Living with this myopic degeneration diagnosis these past two years and certainly been “eye-opening!” (Pun intended). I had honestly never even considered this to be on my radar. I had...

I think in life we are always searching. Searching for a new purpose, a new direction, a new car, a new book, a new art project, a new anything. There...

“The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light” (Matthew 6:22). Boy, reading that verse gave me pause...

I have distinct memories of meeting my mother-in-law over 37 years ago. In 2014, she passed away, but the memories of her have a way of popping up even after...

I love to listen to music, of almost any kind, except for rap. But mostly, I prefer music with a gentle story, a message, catchy tune, and intriguing harmony. County...

Once upon a time... This story started in 1959. In St. Louis, Missouri, a little girl was born into a family with a Mom and Dad. By the time she...

My days are not very exciting... Being retired for almost eight years, a routine of sorts has come into being. No more setting a ridiculously early alarm clock, no more...

"A few bad chapters does not mean your story is over." I read this line a couple of days ago and cannot let it go. We all have our story...

Reflection. My thinking one day brought this particular word to the forefront of my mind. All of this was centered on what we can see. The many definitions of reflection...

Macular Degeneration has a way of taking over my days sometimes. Be it the beginning of a day and struggling to get the clasp lined up on a necklace or setting...

This month’s visit to the Retinal Specialist was its own kind of “special.” Having become almost used to this routine visit and not really paying much attention, I was signing...

Reaching out to others on the forum page is so helpful for me. Hearing the stories that others share as I go through my own personal journey with myopic degeneration...

In the six weeks in between each of my Retinal Specialist appointments, I am constantly checking. And rechecking, daily. How does the eye chart look today? Any new obscuring blobs...

When that moment hits, I just have to go with it. I typically reach for a fresh, clean piece of paper or if the project warrants it, a brand new...

A whole year later and COVID-19 is still a thing. Emphasis on masking, social distancing, and super vigilant handwashing has become our way of life over this calendar year. Spending...

The seasons, at times, seem to drag along, the 30-day or so months feel like 60 days or more at times. Especially the winter months in the great Midwest, those...

March of 2019 was the beginning of my new way of living. That is, of course, when I found out I was living with myopic degeneration. There had been signs...