The Blind Life Podcast - Blazing Trails: A Blind Cyclist's Journey Across America

[@IndianaNana1]

Wow, so inspiring. I'm almost 65 years old and was diagnosed with geographic atrophy a month ago. I've had macular degeneration for about 15 years, so I didn't think it was going to happen to me. But I've come to terms with it. I can still drive and plan to get injections with Izervay in June to slow it down and give me a little more time. That's my hope. I have a KZbin channel and still plan to do that. I think one day at a time. (this is my personal channel). I appreciate this channel and know that my life isn't going to be over, although that is how I initially felt. I'll keep moving and grooving! Bless you. 💟💞

[@cb7532]

Keep a goin’!

[@InspiredInsights4U]

Hi Sam, great interview with Chris and very inspirational young man one thing that I think this video helps to point out. Is that most disabilities have some sort of spectrum to them while you and Chris have peripheral vision a lot of us do not as a former bike rider who is typically doing about 20 miles a day before my eyesight forced me to stop, really would like to get back into the sport and find out more about groups that support tandem writing where you have a pilot or coach that works with the person. I’m not a young chick by any means but I did enjoy riding and want to take it back up if possible

[@cb7532]

Focusing on the abilities and staying positive! There will be hills to climb along the way, but with a supportive community, we can all face the challenges with bravery. Best of luck to this man and everyone else!

[@nearly-blindbrian8372]

Very cool.. I kind of did the same thing by embracing cycling when I still had enough vision to be safe Sadly, those days are gone an I'm limited to my indoor trainer but I cherish the memory of some epic rides I had. I never got into mountain biking but I wish gravel racing had been a thing when I could still ride. Best of luck Chris!

[@trishbarsby2516]

Great interview. Listened to it before my trail run for the day. Doing a 5K without knowing the trails in May. Sister pushing for me to find a guide. So love the fact you brought up the family concern thing. While a guide would be great not letting no guide stop me. Very inspirational story. Going to go follow Chris but would love a follow up interview after the race.

[@adminfeeldom7887]

Wow, Chris! Fantastic story and amazing accomplishments so far!

[@williamdavis7258]

Awesome.

[@AngelaADD]

Great Story! Best of luck.

[@andrezelvin3607]

HI Sam, I haven't finished this but wanted to note that all of us with Stargardt's don't have the same vision. Measured acuity isn't relevant. sometimes it comes down to how many, if any, little pockets of vision near the center one retains, and sometimes it has more to do with level of color/contrast one can perceive. I don't know if anyone has studied this but in my random experience, People with Stargardt's onset in their 20's and 30's like your guest are more likely to retain more useable vision, than those of us with onset around adolescence, although it can be all over the place. I met one woman with Stargardt's who retained a small island of central vision that allowed her to read news print. You can do a lot of things visually that I cannot. Even the thought of trying makes my head hurt, but I'm 64 years old and could still use some computer magnification until my late 20's. I don't know how old you are, but I'm guessing considerably younger than I am. So, when you marvel over what he can do, he may really just have better eyesight than you do. I stopped being able to ride a solo bike in my mid 20's when I smashed up my last one rear-ending a parked car. I sure wish I could do what he does.

[@mattphilipenko88]

Epic story. Thanks for sharing Chris! If you’re at Visions stop by the booth and let’s chat! Maybe you can come throw axes with Sam and I 😂

[@BrauckMan]

Oh man...I live in MA and I completely get what he's talking about. I'm 20/100 corrected and I not "blind enough" for the MBTA "The Ride" service. The grey area SUCKS. If you live in MA, you know that Boston is the HUB. All of our transit options go INTO Boston. If you work outside the city, you are basically screwed.

[@drbones1967]

I thought this topic might help me find something. I am blind and I walk with a guide dog. I am trying to find a trailer designed for walking that I can pull behind me to haul heavier items. When I look on-line the ones I find are available in Europe and the prices are way more than I can pay. All the one I find available in the US are made for bikes and do not have two poles and/or a hip belt available. Any recommendations?

[@vchris2096]

hey bro ive always loved your channel i got a question do you still play video games like minecraft? cause in your old vids you use to say you did

[@TrishL333]

When I tried to ride a bike with tunnel vision I had my son behind me and I thought I was going straight along the edge of the road and he said mom you're in the middle of the road now even though I was trying to pay attention to the edge of the road to look ahead of where I was and somehow still ended up in the middle of the road multiple times

[@feeldomofficialchannel5322]

What a great conversation between to amazing dudes living their best blind lives! Go Chris! 🚲 You can do it!

[@TrishL333]

???what is his field of vision in degrees?

[@rmkofmd1398]

Make sure to pack the bear spray in Grizzly country!