In a routine visit to the gym, I noticed a blind man with a cane walk in, exercise, and then start work as a personal trainer. I walked up to him and asked him for an interview for a magazine. Here are his comments, taken from the video on our page, happyhealthsalud.com.
“My name is William Vázquez, and I am 65 years old. I go to the gym, and I am completely blind due to glaucoma because of bad fortune in life, but I have never stopped exercising because exercise is the homage of body and spirit.
I started to suffer from glaucoma in 94 and went completely blind in 2000. I used to exercise, but when I lost my sight, the pain took me over and I didn’t want to do anything. But one day I woke up and told myself – I’m killing myself- I took my stick and called someone to take me to the gym. I had an instructor teach me the exercises and then I started doing them myself and now I help many people who can see as a trainer.
I think that it is because of exercise that I don’t have any other disease other than my blindness. I don’t have diabetes. I don’t have high blood pressure. I don’t suffer from the heart or anything. I also have a clean diet that keeps me positive. I stay in the gym. When I am not lifting weights or doing calisthenics, I go on walks.
No matter the obstacle you have or how down you feel, you always have to fight to keep moving forward because life continues.
With good health you will always continue forward and you will do your best, because the least you can do is respect your body and not give up, because life continues and is beautiful. It doesn’t matter that I now live in darkness, because exercise is my world. I have always said that today I have more sight that what I had before, when I had 20/20, because today I see with the mind and the heart.”
I think that we should implement Mr. William’s advice in our lives. We should keep moving forward, no matter our conditions or limitations. Being alive is a constant struggle that must be filled with happiness and infinite gratitude. I am glad to share this article with you during
the international month of glaucoma.
