“We can't let one little thing discourage us from continuing to live.”

 — Author Angela Harris on losing her vision

Angela Harris was barely five months into her marriage to School Board member Chris Harris when she began experiencing severe headaches and blurred vision in October of 2019. Following a series of tests, a doctor delivered the news: Harris had a brain tumor that required immediate surgery.

“I had always worn glasses growing up so I thought the blurred vision just meant I needed a new prescription,” Harris said. “I thought it was just part of getting older. But instead doctors found that there was something behind the eye that ended up being a meningioma brain tumor. It was four centimeters large so at that point radiation was not an option. It had to be removed.”

The risky procedure was a success but it came at a cost. Harris awoke from the procedure to find she had lost her vision. The date was Oct. 25, 2019.

“I don’t think I really understood what had happened,” Harris recalled. “It didn’t sink in until several days later that my vision was not going to come back.”

Adjusting to her new reality, Harris founded the IMperfeKtlymade Foundation, a nonprofit organization to support blind and visually impaired people in the community. Last October, Harris and IMperfeKtlymade held its first fashion show fundraiser at The Garden in Alexandria, featuring models who are blind and visually impaired.

“This foundation assists other organizations to provide services and glasses to people that can't afford it or don't have insurance,” said Harris of the three-year-old nonprofit. “Events like the fashion show give individuals like myself that are blind or have other visual impairments the opportunity to be a part of these community events that we're sometimes excluded from.”

Harris followed that up with a new book, “Life As I See It: Finding Strength Through Adversity,” which came out last month.

“It took me two years to write and then rewrite it,” Harris said. “I wanted people to know that just because people who are blind don't have vision that we can still do things. We just have to do them differently.”

“Life As I See It: Finding Strength Through Adversity” discusses Harris’ struggles and highlights how she coped with trying times. It shows her resilience, her fortitude, and her optimistic approach toward life despite all the difficulties she faced.

“The last thing I remember seeing was my husband before we headed back to the operating room,” Harris recalled. “I miss most being able to see my husband smile, just seeing him and the kids. And now I have a granddaughter I've never seen. But what keeps me going is that things could have been 10 times worse. I am not bedridden and I can still hold and feed my granddaughter. And helping other blind individuals through the foundation keeps me excited.”

Technology advances keep Harris connected with screen readers allowing her to navigate a computer, cell phone and other devices.

Eternally optimistic, “Life As I See It” shows her resilience and her positive approach toward life.

“I don’t think anyone expects to lose their vision,” Harris said. “I had no clue that was even a possibility. “I guess it goes back to just knowing that things could have been different. I'm still here and I am so blessed I still have my husband, who has never left my side, he has never wavered.”

Harris’ book is available at booksellers such as Barnes & Noble, Amazon and Apple Books.

“I don’t think the blind community is excluded on purpose,” Harris said. “I think people just don’t know how to make adjustments or how to include us. But we can't let one little thing discourage us from continuing to live.”

For more information on Harris’ foundation, visit www.imperfektlymade.com