Help Ruanne raise money

Dear family, friends, and colleagues,

On June 28, I will be running as a blind runner with my sighted guide in the 5k race, along with my 8-year old son. Thank you for your gift. Please also visit my MOVE FOR SIGHT page.

My Journey from Vision Loss to Vision Research

I was 12 when I first noticed something was wrong. I couldn't see well at night or in dim lighting. For years, I worked around it. But by the end of my master’s degree, my daytime vision started to change. Reading large volumes became difficult. Still, I didn’t think of myself as blind. I was just someone adapting to unusual challenges.

That changed when I moved to Germany for my PhD in Biochemistry (which I eventually withdrew). My vision loss became impossible to ignore. I was bumping into people. I was exhausted from trying to navigate at night. When I got my diagnosis of retinitis pigmentosa, I overcame with a strange sense of purpose. I wanted to devote my career to vision research.

After my diagnosis, I made the decision to study retinitis pigmentosa at the University of British Columbia. This work was funded by Fighting Blindness Canada, and it became my first deep connection to the broader vision research and vision loss community. In 2019, I earned my PhD.

Today, I am embarking on a meaningful career. As a member on the Philanthropy Team at Fighting Blindness Canada, I am building relationships with valuable donors who are just as passionate about the future of vision research and education.

For more on my journey, click here to watch my documentary.

With deep gratitude,

Ruanne