Probably would have been significantly less awkward if I hadn’t led with a “remember when you told me masturbation makes you go blind?”

In my defense *I* thought it was funny.

But my mother really did not take the actual diagnosis well, she insisted on taking me to doctor after doctor, specialist after specialist, I guess she thought that sooner or later one doctor would have some kind of miracle cure. It really took her years to accept that the damage wasn’t something that could be fixed.

These days they mostly forget about my vision. I guess because I got so good at moving around without help. Still annoying when they leave stuff in the pathways.

Ignored me. For years.

Including preventing me from traveling home for an emergency surgery (retinal tear) that caused the loss of my right eye, cuz “how dare I leave a family vacation”. Just in general disbelief.

It’s your fault!!! Always watching YouTube until 13:00

I just came out and said it once I had absorbed the news myself for a couple days. Granted, I've always been blind, so it was a "going even more blind" conversation and we all knew it was possible. It was depressing and they were sad about it. The only person who was a dick was my step dad, but he's like that with everything so it wasn't a surprise. My mom and sister helped me out when I eventually had eye surgery that didn't really help.

They told me, as I'd been flat on my back in hospital for a week (car accident) and I had been off my head on super strength prescription painkillers the entire time and not really wondering about anything.

My mother couldn't deal with it and it strains our relationship to this day. My dad is fine. Couldn't be better.

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It was only about a 24 hour lapse from being admitted to the hospital to walking out as a new blind guy, so wasn't much in the way of preparation.

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My family reacted like absolute shit, and basically misplaced their love with worry, fear, degredation, and disdain.

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Granted, it wasn't ONLY because I went blind, but also because I'm just not a conventional 9 - 5 type of guy, never have been, never will be. Long story, but been a software entrepreneur all my life since I was 16, have been both rich and poor multiple times, lived all over the world, last time I had a real job I was 19 and working for $7.50/hour landscaing, etc. At times I've made $40k/month though, so it's not all bad.

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Anyway, I had been living in NE Thailand for 8 years when I went blind, and due to that plus always making my own money instead of having a boss and conventional job, and going blind, my family went off the rails on me. Telling me I'm delusional, detached from reality, sick in the head, need professional help, and blah, blah...

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They demanded I come back to Canada, and I politely told them to fuck off. I had been living there 8 years, that was my home, I had my BF who I loved very much (I'm gay), my dogs of 7 years who I loved like my own children, and get fucked if you think I'm leaving them behind in life, etc. Plus it was my home, I knew everyone in the area, everyone knew new, and without question in my mind I made the right decision by staying in Thailand. Upon first going blind, I literally couldn't even walk 300m down to the local store anymore, and had to teach myself everything again, including just walking the streets. Thanks to the support from my neighbors and locals in my community though, I became a confident blind man in about 4 months. I know full well that would have taken at least two years in Canada, due to how isolating of a society Canada is.

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Ended up getting forced back to Canada anyway after trying to move to Vientaiene (I overstayed my VISA in Thailand, nothing criminal -- I loved my dogs, and wasn't willing to leave them). Upon getting back here, family still just ran with the misconception that I'm fucked in the head and don't understand reality, so that was fun!

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Now that a godo amount of time has passed, and we've spent a good amount of time together, they've finally figured out over the past \~6 months that nope, I'm not fucked in the head, I'm just the same old Matt I've always ben. Nope, still have zero desire to get a 9-5 job, and will continue being an entrepreneur and making my own way in life, because that's all I've known since I was 16. Just have to do it blind now, that's all.

Fuck I just said it to their faces. People ask why I ask for help when I can’t see something (I wear glasses, I can see out of my right eye a little) and I have to explain that my vision is shit.