People we help

Shared stories

Claire wearing a pink top and blue jeans sits in her living room, using her laptop

“I wanted to know what I could do to try and help myself”

Posted: Monday 3 February 2025

Claire found herself “alone and lost” as she tried to come to terms with her Stargardt diagnosis, not knowing anybody else with the rare form of sight loss.

Finding joy after a diagnosis

Posted: Friday 31 January 2025

Losing their sight changed Dawn and Chris’ lives, but it didn’t stop them from finding enjoyment in the every day. In the latest My Macular and Me podcast, they share how new hobbies, support from others, and a positive mindset helped them find joy after their diagnoses.

picture of Rita, a white woman in her 80s with short grey hair smiling to camera

"Without speaking a word, my cane tells my story”

Posted: Friday 31 January 2025

For Rita, a simple white stick helped her overcome her embarrassment of losing her sight and helped her communicate her sight loss to others.

Two woman sit around a table, arms crossed while smiling

"Volunteering makes me feel worthwhile, I just love helping other people"

Posted: Wednesday 8 January 2025

In 2025, Jenny will have spent 16 years helping out at her local support group for people with macular disease. While she doesn’t have sight loss herself, she joined to follow in the footsteps of her late husband Alan who was a group volunteer.

Jane, left, wearing glasses and a horizontal striped jumper, standing next to her husband Ed. He is also wearing glasses and a red jumper.

“Counselling helped me express all the guilt”

Posted: Tuesday 7 January 2025

For two decades Jane has been dedicated to supporting her husband Ed since his diagnosis with macular disease. While she has always been firmly by his side, Jane admitted she has often felt a great sense of guilt – a feeling which resonates with many friends, family members or carers of people living with sight loss.

Emily, a white female in her 20s with long dark hair, smiling and posing with the Clifton Suspension Bridge in the background

Architecture graduate with Stargardt wants to make buildings more inclusive

Posted: Monday 2 December 2024

A recent architecture graduate who is losing her sight to Stargardt disease, says the experience has motivated her to design everyday spaces that are accessible to everyone.

“Without counselling, I would have been left in the doldrums - I wasn't me anymore”

Posted: Thursday 28 November 2024

From nursery teaching to supporting people with dementia, Caroline had always associated herself as an outgoing and extraverted person - until her sight began to deteriorate.

Gerard McCarten, middle, wearing his yellow Macular Society fundraising t-shirt and red helmet poses with his bike, flanked by his friends Mike Cowley and Ged Brear. Behind, Jericho Primary School children cheer and wave.

"My Mauna Kea challenge was nothing compared to living with sight loss"

Posted: Tuesday 26 November 2024

An avid cyclist has completed a mammoth challenge of cycling the height of the world’s tallest mountain, in memory of his late wife who spent decades living with a rare macular condition.