ABOUT THE BLOG
Hello! Welcome to my blog where I'll be discussing everything Keratoconus (KC). I know what you non-KC’ers are thinking; “that was a mouthful to say.” The name is still and more than likely will forever be a mouthful. Before I jumped into explaining why I've finally decided to create this blog, please allow me to introduce myself.
I’m Shakeila, strangers sometimes call me “tequila” which I allow since it does rhyme. On the other hand, most of my family and friends call me ‘Shaki.’ You can decide whichever one you prefer. For those of you who already follow me on my social media platforms know that I was diagnosed with KC when I was 18, and this year October 2020 will mark ten years since my diagnosis. I guess you can do maths to find out my age.
KC has turned my life around drastically, and as you read all of my upcoming posts you’ll get a front-row seat to see how. The outlook I have on life - the world, has completely changed compared to how I saw it when I was younger or should I say before KC. Hopefully, by sharing my journey with you all, it’ll leave you with a bit more hope for the times to come. Although I have a different outlook on life that doesn’t mean my journey has been an easy one, especially living in the Caribbean where I wasn't taken seriously by local and regional doctors.
The big question, “Why now? After all these years why wait ten years to share?”
Firstly, It’s better late than never, but mainly since it’s creeping up to my ten year anniversary married to this hell of a disease. For a number of years, i’ve been prolonging sharing my story and my journey with others, and I am trying this new thing called being vulnerable. Similar to my dating life, it’s frightening being vulnerable, but this blog is much bigger; it’s not just for one person, I’m going to be vulnerable for the world in hopes of helping/saving a soul or two. I no longer want to say;
“maybe next month,”
“maybe next year..”
“why would anyone listen to a small island girl,”
“What impact can I actually make?”
I no longer wanted my overthinking brain to get the best of me and deter me from sharing everything I’ve learned with you.
Being locked indoors for several weeks has led me to do a lot of reflection on my journey. My thoughts mostly fixated on the very first moment I began taking the disease seriously. Unfortunately, that moment was years after my diagnosis - years after the disease had done its damage. After I lost most of my sight I frantically searched for answers online, yet, I hardly found anything which made me feel even more lost.
The last thing I want is for someone else to make the same mistakes I did. So, I’ll be sharing the good, the bad, and the fugly. Again my main aims are:
To make other KC’ers know that they are not alone in this and give them hope,
To educate friends and families of people who are dealing with KC to give them a better understanding.
To encourage Ophthalmologist, Optometrist - heck! all doctors to take their patients more seriously.
Disclaimer: I'm not trying to take over the role of an Ophthalmologist or an Optometrist. Some of them indeed know a lot about the disease, however, they do not know the daily struggles we face since they’re not living it, they just studied it. So, that’s where I come in.
I’ll be touching topic like:
Being misdiagnosed,
The different lenses I’ve used,
Progressing from mild to advance,
My daily struggles
Spending hours in a doctor’s office having a staring contest because they didn’t know what to advise me on my issue.
The different products I use; tips and tricks
The struggles of dating and having KC
And makeup (this one is for my makeup lovers out there; SPOILER: We can wear makeup… just a lesser variety.)
Although, It’s a serious topic I am going to try my best to make this fun while being informative.
Without further ado, let’s get into it.
Click on the link below to find out more about the KC journey.