Finding way to independence with CNIB support

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 11/12/2021 (1434 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Born in Hungary, Veronika Kanya developed Type 1 diabetes at age six. She struggled in her early years with health issues, could only access yearly blood sugar testing, and had to travel to get to the clinic for young children where she would be given pig insulin.

There were no disposable syringes, only glass and metal ones, which her mother had to wash and dry so they could be reused.

In search of better health care, her parents left Hungary when Kanya was 13. They landed in Austria, where human insulin and weekly blood sugar checks were available. But life wasn’t easy for the family, who felt unwelcome; in 1991, they moved to Canada.

“My parents chose Canada because insulin was invented here. I absolutely loved it. Here, people got excited, they wanted to know where we were from,” Kanya says, recalling her arrival in Winnipeg at 16.

“I saw a specialist right away. That’s when I got my first glucose meter, something I could do myself at home.”

At 23, her retinas detached and, within six months, there was no light reception. At 24, her sight was completely gone.

“I was in my third year at the University of Manitoba studying science. I had to drop out because I couldn’t read my notes. I’d been driving up to that point. After that I stayed home. I was reading and listening to audio books. My dad was going around the city to pick up all the audio books available. I immersed myself in books, it was my escape,” she says.

After all these struggles, Kanya found her way with the help of the CNIB Foundation.

“I went to CNIB right away. They were amazing. They made it feel normal. I joined a support group. It made you feel like you’re not alone, to be with people who had the same fears, the same thoughts,” she says.

”It’s very tough to imagine what the future is going to look like. I couldn’t see myself being blind and living an independent life.”

Founded in 1918, the Canadian National Institute for the Blind Foundation is a non-profit organization delivering innovative programs and advocacy to empower people impacted by blindness, to live their dreams and tear down barriers to inclusion.

The foundation is an agency partner of United Way Winnipeg, which is amidst its annual fundraising campaign.

At 25, Kanya got her first guide dog. Now 46, she’s accompanied everywhere by Apache, her third cherished guide dog.

With support from CNIB, Kanya was back at school a year after she left, completing her degree in environmental sciences. For 13 years, she worked for the government as a conservation biologist.

“CNIB can help you get back your independence. They will help you with supplies and the technology to work and study. They trained me, helped me get a laptop, and screen reader software. Besides all the support they provide, and the skill training they do, CNIB creates a very empowering community for visually impaired and blind people.”

When CNIB offered a kick-boxing workshop, it fuelled Kanya’s fascination with screen legend Bruce Lee, and inspired her to pursue martial arts as a means of staying active. After over a decade of aikido, she began jiu-jitsu classes.

“It gives me strength and it makes me feel strong and independent while focusing on posture, balance, and physical awareness. It’s quite incredible, and empowering,” she says.

Having helped create a self-defence class through the Manitoba Blind Sports Association, and receiving an award for introducing people to it, Kanya is living her independent life, knowing she can always call on CNIB for things such as its mobility instructor or for assistance when she moves.

Kanya gives back as a certified life coach. CNIB recognized this was another dream and passion of hers, and supported her to make it happen.

“You’re able to have these real discussions, you know exactly what they’re going through and feeling. I’m able to help others with their experience.”

fpcity@freepress.mb.ca