At 13 years of age, my parents and I visited an ophthalmologist. As I sat in the examining chair, the doctor looked into my eyes, shining a bright light.

“She did inherit it,” he said with coldness. “You need to be prepared. There is no cure for this retinal disease.”

My father carried the Retinitis Pigmentosa gene causing a deterioration of the retina, which, in most cases, results in blindness. Fifteen years after my initial diagnosis, my father began to lose his eyesight and so did I. He was 55 years old, but I was only 28. In a matter of two years, we had both lost our sight completely.

I focused on the effects of my own darkness. My world crumbled destroying the dreams my husband and I had for us and for our three little boys. But when I tried to look for hope and strength my eyes opened to a new revelation.

My father had given me not just the RP gene, but the example of determination and tenacity as well. We were all living in Bolivia in 1964 when he defied the family’s opposition to move to America. He and Mum worked tirelessly to satisfy the requirements imposed to enter the country and establish residency.

Once in the States, he overcame humiliation, intense loneliness, helplessness and uncertainty.

He endured ridicule due to his lack of fluency in English, but he pressed on. And he managed to gather enough for the basics —rent a small apartment, buy furniture and put a down payment on a car. Nine months later, he sent airline tickets for my mum, my brother and me.

Decades later, as an American citizen, I look back at what he’d shown me. He taught me the determination to move forward when facing adversity. He set an example proving that humility is crucial to success. He demonstrated the commitment to family and the importance of setting priorities.

His journey taught me valuable lessons for my own path in the darkness. Much like a baby takes its first steps holding tight to his father’s hand, my dad held onto to his conviction as he stepped from the comfort of our hometown in Bolivia to the unknown in a foreign land.

I did the same as I stepped into the unfamiliarity of a sightless world. Holding onto my own conviction I gained confidence and learned the language of gratitude. With profound appreciation for my father’s example, I learned how he had applied a powerful blend of faith and tenacity.

What I inherited from my father helped me to see my life with a more radiant and meaningful glow.