What Would You Wait Two Decades For?

Tomorrow is a big day. A day I've been waiting for - are you ready now? - 22 years. I was born with a lazy eye. Actually, both my eyes had really bad muscles problems. By age 3, I had undergone three surgeries to try and fix them. The doctors ended up over-compensating for the weakness in the left eye and for whatever reason failed to fix a slew of other problems that plagued both.

Since then my left eye has become weak to the point where now it has a mind of it's own. My brain over the past two decades has adapted to using just my right eye and as a result I hardly see out of my left eye. It's a wonder I was able to ever get a license or successfully compete collegiate level gymnastics. When I am super tired, I shy behind my big sunglasses because I feel embarrassed by how much my eye tends to turn outwards. Often, people think I am looking beyond them. And at least five times a week I get terrible headaches around my eyes from straining them. For years doctors told me I couldn't get my eyes fixed because "it won't make a difference," and "there aren't any doctors who will do that."

Until I switched family doctors last November, asked for a recommendation to a specialist, was at the eye specialist's office a week later and that same day had my surgery scheduled within the next 8 months. Even better, the cost for this dream surgery is covered by Canadian Health Care. I was deemed 'a perfect candidate for the surgery.' I cried and cried that day in the doctor's office. I cried big lovely tears of complete happiness.

Tomorrow at 10 a.m. I'll be at the hospital. At noon I'll be going under for the procedure. And hopefully by dinner time tomorrow (aside from some obvious discomfort), I will have two straight, beautiful eyes, that I have been dreaming off for so long now. I have a scheduled post for Friday's Featured Goodness (don't miss out, it's going to be lovely) but I wanted to keep you in the loop if you don't hear from me for a while. Oh and in case your wondering; here's one of the few pictures of me as a little girl where my eyes do in fact look normal and straight. And then that's me circa February 2010. Funny how we change over time isn't it? Hugs to all of you lovelies xoxo