One of the effects of Jenny's severe illness was the scarring shut of her eyelids when she shed her skin. Doctors were hopeful that, once they were able to reopen her eyes, her sight would be normal. "I kept believing I would see again," Jenny says. "But that isn't how things progressed. By the time I went home, my eyes weren't scarred shut. I could see shapes, colors and the blurred image of a face. It was quite a shock to come to grips with the fact that I would be legally blind." Once she returned home, having won her battle with this rare disease, Jenny faced new challenges. She had a husband and two children who needed her as a wife and mother. That meant cooking, house cleaning and many other duties. But she couldn't see. "My husband kept telling me, 'We'll work this out.' His parents came to live with us and I am so thankful for them," Jenny says. "They helped so much as I learned how to do things without seeing." Cooking was one of Jenny's biggest challenges. In her book she shares numerous experiences she encountered at first. The many mistakes and steep and sudden learning curve left her with plenty of anger and bitterness - for a time. "There were days when I thought it would be easier to keep taking the drugs so I wouldn't have to endure all the different kinds of pain each day brought," Jenny says. "But I knew that wasn't fair to my family and that eventually I had to face the reality of my situation." Jenny's children were far too young to make sense of what had happened to their mother. None of the changes necessary to adapting to Jenny's new challenges happened quickly, but they did eventually happen. "For the next 33 years, every time we heard about a medical advancement related to restoring eyesight, we checked it out," Jenny says. "I visited doctors in Ohio and went through 14 surgeries but none of them brought my eyesight back." Finally, Jenny visited Yantkon optometrists, Dr. Thomas Willcockson and Dr. John Willcockson. Dr. Tom first opened his optometric office in Yankton in 1950. He sent her to New York where doctors treated Jenny with a Cordona Corneal implant. "That brought back some of my vision. But it was like looking down the barrel of a gun," she says. "I could see but my field of vision was very narrow. For the next two years, my body kept wanting to reject the implant." It was early in 1980 when vVISION continued on page 20 Do you want relief from constant sinus infections and congestion? Trying to avoid the stress and hassle of a hospital operating room procedure? Consider In Office Balloon SinuplastyTM •Local anesthesia •Walk out of office •Comfortable surroundings •Fast recovery •Work very next day •30 minute prodecure Contact us at 605-665-0062 to discuss the best treatment option for you. David J. Abbott, M.D. Micah M. Likness, M.D. Board Certified Otolaryngologist Otolaryngologist Beth J. Beeman Au. D, CCC-A Todd A. Farnham Au. D, CCC-A We’re H“ear” For You! EAR, NOSE & THROAT ASSOCIATES, P.C. 2525 Fox Run Parkway, Suite 101, Yankton 605-665-0062 • 1-866-665-0062 • www.entyankton.com HERVOICE MAY/JUNE 2015v19