On more than one occasion, Ocean Armstrong’s guide dog has potentially saved her life.
Reflecting on this, Ocean, 35, who lives with blindness, explains, “There have been times where I have misjudged traffic and the dog has put its body right in front of mine to stop me from crossing the road.”
At the time, she was confused as to why her dog was refusing to walk forward, only to be shocked seconds later by the sound of a vehicle whizzing past.
“It’s in those moments, I’ve been really grateful to be alive,” she admits.
The Waikato mother of Breeze, six, and Lotus, four, was born with optic nerve hypoplasia, which causes low vision. Over the years, the condition has worsened. Ocean explains now she “can see colours, but no details and it’s very blurry”.
In 2015, Ocean received her very first guide dog, a black labrador retriever called JJ, who supported her for six years before being retired. Then came a challenging two-year gap where she was without a dog. Now, three-year-old labradoodle Lester joined the family 18 months ago.
“I was so happy when I had Lester brought to me,” she enthuses. “I’ve found my confidence, my independence and my freedom again.”
Both dogs have dramatically changed her life for the better. But when her eye specialist first suggested she apply for one, Ocean was adamant she just didn’t want to.
“My whole being in myself just sank,” she recalls. “I’d became so used to getting around by myself with a cane. I thought, ‘What do I need a dog for?’
“But it got to a point where my cane wasn’t enough to stop me walking into things. I would miss a lamp post and I would walk straight into it.”
However, with gentle encouragement from her biggest supporters, husband Craig and mum Heeni, Ocean began to realise how helpful a dog could be.
Smiling, she now says the decision was one of her best yet.
“When my daughter was born, it meant I could walk to mum-and-baby groups with a pram and my dog,” tells Ocean. “It gave me the confidence that I didn’t have to rely on others because I always had my dog with me.
“In those two years without a dog, I had to learn how to use my cane again. When I walked the streets, I was very slow because I didn’t have that confidence and independence any more.”
It costs around $50,000 to train a guide dog and $175,000 to keep them in service. But Lester’s addition to the family has been invaluable to Ocean. He has allowed her to walk her daughter to and from school safely.
“Breeze is learning so much, telling all her peers to be mindful that her mum cannot see and also telling them why I have the dog,” shares the doting mother.
Neither of Ocean’s children are vision impaired, but if they had been, she was ready to help them thrive.
“When I was pregnant, people would often ask me, ‘Will your children be blind?’ And I would answer, ‘Not necessarily, however, what better parent to raise a child with blindness than someone like me who can understand what they’re going through.’”
Craig, 51, also lives with low vision due to congenital cataracts when he was born and now has glaucoma. They first met in 2014 at a Blind Low Vision NZ job-seekers event. There, she laughs, they both found employment and each other.
Raised and taught by her mum that she is capable of doing nearly anything a sighted person can, Ocean has developed an optimistic resilience, choosing to focus on the positives, such as her increased fitness.
Unable to drive a car, she prefers to walk wherever possible. With the help of Lester as her training buddy, she’s also taken up running marathons.
Last year, she ticked the iconic New York City Marathon off her bucket list.
Ocean hopes sharing her story will encourage others to be mindful of people living with blindness and low vision – and most of all, not to underestimate them.
“Maybe one day, wear a blindfold and walk from one end of the room to the other. Put yourself in our shoes and sense what it’s like not being able to see clearly,” she suggests. “That’s what we go through, but we try not to let anything get in our way.
“Blindness isn’t a barrier. I want to be able to go out and give anything a go. I want to travel the world and experience different cultures and places.
“Hopefully, with my guide dog with me when we do bigger trips, I can show my children that they can do anything they put their minds to.”
To find out more or to donate to support training guide dogs, visit blindlowvision.org.nz.
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