Why I'm Not Asking Santa for Healthy Eyes This Christmas

If you could really and truly get one thing for Christmas, anything ONE thing that you wanted...would you wish for healthy eyes?

Letting macular degeneration help me grow

For a long time now, I’ve really been trying to focus on the positive things that ARE happening in my life and just letting my difficult ‘things’ help me grow into the person I want to be. I want to be happy. Genuinely, unaltering, unconditionally happy in life...and worrying about all.the.things.is not helping me reach that goal.

Changing my vision, not my eyesight

I cannot change what is happening to my eyes right now. I can only try to stay as healthy and positive as I can. So, I’m choosing to change my perspective about it...my ‘other’ vision...

I have been worried sick (sometimes literally) about my eyes for almost twelve years now, and if I could ask for (and receive) just one thing today, in this moment...I can safely say no, healthy eyes is not what I would ask for this Christmas.

There’s more to life than this disease

I do want healthy eyes, friends. I really, REALLY do. But, as I sit here in my cozy living room lit by the lights on my Christmas tree, looking across the room at my healthy children and listening to their conversations with each other about their holiday excitement, I can’t help but think that the one thing I would ask for this Christmas...is for their happiness in life.

I’m not really one to prefer receiving gifts anyway, I’m more of a giver. And, even if I do lose my central vision someday, I’ll never ever forget this moment with my children. This moment can never be taken away from me.

Finding joy

Am I saying that the health of my eyes is not of importance to me? No way. It’s way high at the top of my priority list. Life is hard and then it’s not...and then it’s hard again...find the joy. Create it if you can. Seek it out if you must.

Macular degeneration doesn't define us

What I’m saying is that we are all human. Not humans with macular degeneration or humans with anxiety or humans with...fill in the blank with anything you’re struggling with...we’re JUST human. You are human. I am human. My children are human. And as humans, they are sure to experience some really tough things in their lives. These things shouldn’t define them or their happiness.

I don’t know if my children will end up with macular degeneration, though I pray every single day that they don’t. Their doctors and I are doing everything we can to prevent this from happening, but ultimately, it isn’t up to us. Nor is any other happy or sad thing that happens to them in their lives.

If not THIS, it will be something else

If it isn’t macular degeneration, it may be something else difficult that affects them. Through my own health journey and through helping others along theirs, I am starting to realize that everyone goes through difficult things, macular degeneration or not.

I can’t protect my children from the hardships of life. What I can do is try to teach them how to cope in healthy ways. I can help them find their happiness and show them how to prioritize it.

All I want for Christmas

This is why I say that if I could ask for just one thing this Christmas, it would be to bottle up this happiness and security they feel right now, in this moment, as I watch them laugh and play...and remind them of it when life gets hard.

My one wish for Christmas this year is for my children to always be able to find the joy in life and to just be...HAPPY! Healthy eyes may be number two on my list…and that’s more than okay with me.

Whatever it is that you’re wishing for this holiday season, I hope it finds its way to you.

Happy, Healthy Holidays,

Andrea Junge