A Bristol woman has spoken of how she is dealing with her deteriorating eyesight - by setting up a group of fellow adventurers, and running the London marathon. Tracey Gait has had problems with her eyesight since she was a child, but it’s a hidden disability and she said most of the people she knew had no idea about the issues until she started fundraising for the marathon effort.
The 43-year-old from Hartcliffe has raised more than £2,000 for the charity Sense by running the marathon, which she completed in a not-too-shabby 5hrs 17 mins. But she said the experience of talking about her disability publicly to friends and family for the first time has been the most life-changing thing of all.
While fundraising for the Sense charity, Tracey said she spoke openly for the first time to many people in her life about her visual impairment. She has had issues since she was a toddler, due to astigmatism, which makes every day activities challenging - from reading notice boards and menus, to getting text messages.
