I asked the Universe for helpleaving my job – and went blind!Chris Barbour, 59, Newport, South Walesit’s fateit’s fateClimbing into my car and
buckling the seatbelt, I
groaned. It was Monday
morning in December 2016
and I had another long week of
commuting 70 miles each way to
my job as a graphic designer
ahead of me.
‘I wish I didn’t have to do this,’
I muttered to myself. I hated the
job, hated the long hours, hated
the commute. My blood pressure
was sky-high from the stress of
doing a job I loathed.
What I really wanted to do was
to focus on my own
art. But, truth be
told, I knew I wasn’t
good enough to
make it as a
professional artist.
I’d tried to paint
before but the end
result was always
rigid and uninspired
The graphic
design job paid the bills. What
choice did I really have?
Sighing to myself, I started the
engine and set off for work.
They say be careful what you
wish for. I’ve always wondered if
someone ‘up there’ was listening
to my plea that day.
Christmas rolled round – and at
least I got some time off work to
relax. The family were coming to
stay with my wife Sharon and I for
a few days. On Christmas Eve, I
nipped into Bristol city centre
with my grandchildren for a bit of
last-minute Christmas shopping.
After a trip to Santa and a mince
pie, we headed home.
I was carrying my one-year-old
granddaughter Naomi over the
threshold when, all of a sudden, I
came over really light-headed. I
put Naomi down, staggered to the
nearest chair and satdown, putting my head in
my hands.
‘Are you OK, Chris?’ My
wife Sharon sounded worried.
I looked up to reassure her
that I was alright – and
realised I couldn’t see her
properly.
I had poor vision in my left
eye, but nothing that stopped me
reading, driving or using a
computer.Blurred vision
Now my right eye was blurred,
too. There was a big
white blob right in the
middle of my vision. I
could barely make out
my wife’s face.
‘Um, yes, I’m fi ne,
love,’ I mumbled. ‘I
had a bit of a funny
turn but I’m sure I’ll
be OK in a minute.’
I didn’t want to worry Sharon,
not with a house full of people – not
over Christmas. Anyway, perhaps
my sight would come back as
quickly as it had disappeared?
But it didn’t. And by the time I
went to bed, I was so worried that I
told Sharon what had happened.
‘One moment I could see,
and the next I couldn’t,’ I
confessed.
Sharon looked at me,
horrifi ed. ‘Chris, why
didn’t you tell me? You
could have had a stroke.
We’re going straight to
hospital fi rst thing in
the morning.’
So instead of
spending
Christmas Day
with the family,Sharon and I spent it at the local
hospital in Bristol. I was poked and
prodded and underwent all sorts of
tests as the doctors tried to work out
what was wrong with me.
My blood pressure had sky-
rocketed, so I was given an MRI
scan to examine my heart and
nervous system and rule out the
possibility of the stroke.
I was fi nally sent home, still
almost blind, with blood-
thinning tablets.
I tried to make the most
of Christmas, but I was too
worried. We all were.
A few dayslater, I was given the
results of my tests.
‘The artery at
the back of your
eye is blocked,’
the doctor told me.
‘It’s because of the
high blood pressure.
That’s what’s caused
the loss of sight.’
‘That’s good to
know,’ I nodded. ‘Will
you be able to fi x it?’Permanent loss
‘I’m sorry, Mr Barbour,’
the consultant said. ‘I’m afraid
the loss of sight is permanent. All
we can try to do now is stop it
getting worse.’
I left the hospital, numb with
shock. It took a while for the full
implications of this to sink in. I’d
never be able to drive again, or
read, use a computer.
I had no choice but to give up my
job, sign up for disability benefi t. I
was worried sick, fell into
depression.
‘What are we
going to do for
money?’ I worried
to Sharon.
But Sharon,
who’s a
working
medium with a
direct line to
spirit,Words: Crispin Andrews and Amanda Vlietstra Photos: SWNS and Alamy
Be careful whatyou wish forThere was awhite blob inmy visionStressed:
Health issuesSharon:
So supportive