An estimated 1.1 million of Americans are classified as legally blind, so my life is hardly unique

I wish I was like Mirelle, I told Hashem, that night. Why am I me and not her? But it was unrealistic, I knew. I’d never be like you

I was leaving all my friends behind. Except Eliana. And yet high school, it seemed, had no room for her

“Am I not good enough anymore? Do you need me AND Perry to be with you all the time?”

Everyone else has pairs and pairs of fashionable shoes. Why am I always different?

Sometimes, it just feels like I live with a monster. A monster called perfectionism

It did help that it had a name, I suppose, so we knew what we were up against. But I still felt pretty miserable

Passing a test is like trying to fly a rocket with no training and a blindfold over my eyes. Basically, impossible

This is insane, I thought. What are you going to do, pass on this fear to another generation?

We had a similar reception from another Bais Yaakov. Not outright rejection, but a cool response hinting to the fact that I was unwelcome

This darkness is beginning to penetrate my bones and take away all the cheer I have inside…