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Everyone loves a story about turning tragedy into triumph and recently the New York Daily News shared a story we think is worth of sharing.
Once upon a time, Jennifer Landmesser was an adrenaline junkie. Not only did she make a living as a paramedic in a level 2 trauma center in Melbourne, FL, but she also spent her free time hiking, kayaking, biking and participating in other physically demanding activities. Sadly, her life changed dramatically about four years ago when a mysterious health condition left her with 20/300 vision in her right eye and 20/800 in her left. Jennifer is now legally blind.
Jennifer’s retinas had deteriorated over a period of ten years, and doctors couldn’t figure out why. Initially, the most likely culprit for Jennifer’s blindness was celiac disease, a condition in which an allergic reaction to gluten leads to the inflammation and destruction of the small intestine’s inner lining. Jennifer cut gluten out of her diet two years ago in light of these tests, and although it seemed to stop her retinal deterioration she is still legally blind.
After losing her vision, Jennifer struggled to find her place in the world. Her career as a paramedic had come to an end, and she could no longer engage in many of the physical activities that she enjoyed before. Fortunately, she seemed to find a new direction with yoga.
Yoga in the Dark
Jennifer had taken a few yoga classes before she lost her vision, and after attending support classes at the Brevard Association for the Advancement of the Blind in Satellite Beach, FL she gained the confidence to teach yoga classes herself. Jennifer is now a certified yoga instructor at the Aquarian Dreams Holistic Health Center in Indialantic, FL. She is currently developing a workshop called “Yoga in the Dark,” a class in which yoga students practice the art of yoga while wearing blindfolds. Jennifer says that this takes away the intimidation factor of practicing yoga.
While yoga was developed as a meditation technique, our society seems to have adopted it as a trendy method of getting into shape. Jennifer states that “anybody” can do yoga and that they “don’t have to be perfect” to feel great during the exercises. The blindfolds help to take the students’ minds off the rest of the class and discourages the tendency they have to compete with each other. This makes yoga more accessible to those who might otherwise be too self-conscious to attend classes.
Despite all that Jennifer Landmesser has done with her life since losing her vision, she is uncomfortable with being told that people can do anything despite their disabilities. She believes that this sets people up for failure and disappointment all too easily. Jennifer knows that she will never be able to work as a paramedic again or do many of the other things she once enjoyed. However, she takes great pride in the fact that she is inspiring others with what she can do. She is inspiring others to try new things and discover what they are capable of. For that, she is truly blessed.