Frustrations, Passions, and Triumphs

Along the way there have been plenty of triumphs -- and frustrations. I think, without question, my lowest moments came when I was confined to a wheelchair, uncertain how, or even if, I could turn around my health's downward slide. 

I was also blind-sided (no pun intended) by the collapse of my first guide dog Ostend, who died suddenly in 2005 when a cancerous tumor that had been growing undetected in his heart caused it to split in half. Even as his own heart was broken, so was my own. I was more devastated than I ever could have imagined. Ostend was from a different guide dog school, but he paved the way for me to move forward and become ready for the Mighty Quinn.

But there are many passions and triumphs in my life journey, too. 

I delight in, and benefit from, my regular training in the Martial Arts, in which I hold a second-degree black belt under Grandmaster Robert Lamattina. I've been involved in dart leagues, medieval reenactments, and I regularly host Bardic events in my own home. "Bardic" is a medieval term that describes an event in which the sharing of stories, poems, songs, and music fill an evening with mirth and merriment.

I have tremendous fun with family and friends as we follow the New England Patriots, which led to my being named "Fan of the Year" and enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. A video of my fandom was even nominated for an Emmy Award! In fact, as a result of my football fandom, I traveled to the White House to meet with President George W. Bush on an April afternoon in 2002 in the Rose Garden of the White House during the Cherry Blossom Festival. Both were amazing experiences!

I reflected on many positive things when, on Independence Day of this year, I stood on the peak of Mount Washington, one of the most challenging and dangerous mountains in the United States. I stood there with my amazing guide dog, my loving fiancée, and a group of stalwart friends, thinking about how five years earlier I could not stand on my own, let alone climb such a magnificent mountain. 

That moment perfectly encapsulates the core value in my approach to all adversity and the theme of the book I've written and hope someday to share with the world:

"We do influence much of the adversity that occurs in our world, but we do not have complete control over it. We do have complete control, however, over the choices we will make in response. It is those choices that will have a far greater impact upon our lives than any adversity ever could."

We have only just begun and there are many mountains ahead of us, both literally and figuratively. Each of these challenges will develop the strength of our community and hopefully entice a few more folks to learn, grow, and "climb" with us to the "summit" of possibility.

Where you can find Randy online:

On his web site: http://www.2020visionquest.org

On Twitter: http://twitter.com/2020VisionQuest

On Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/2020VQ

Where you can find Quinn online:

On Twitter: http://twitter.com/MightyQuinn54

On his blog: http://zipdogblog.com

Here are some additional links to help readers locate more information about blindness, vision loss, and low vision: 

• Blind Bloggers
• Indoor and outdoor travel skills
• Guide Dogs for People with Vision Loss
• Meet Kathy Zubrycki, Director of Training and Admissions at Guiding Eyes for the Blind
• Sports, recreational, and cultural activities
• Find state and local vision rehabilitation services
• Employment for adults with vision loss
• What are vision rehabilitation services?
• Independent living at home with vision loss
• Find products for independent living

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