This campaign was created to provide financial assistance for some adapted products that are useful and necessary in my daily life, blood glucose meter, blood pressure meter, body thermometer, bathroom scale, kitchen scale are some examples.
My name is Paula Oliveira and I'm 32 years old, I've always been a happy, cheerful and smiling person, dancing is my greatest passion. In 2016, at the age of 25, due to complications with diabetes, I became blind, I have glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy, as well as diabetic neuropathy, hypertension and cardiac arrhythmia. Both of my eyes were removed, I already have the first prosthesis (for 1 eye) and I am waiting for the second prosthesis to be placed. My life has become quite complicated, I am retired due to disability with a very low pension, I live alone with my dog and 2 cats, they are my best company. Boris, my faithful 4-legged friend, is not a traditional guide dog, but he is the best guide dog I could have, he knows when I will have a crisis, he knows where to take me, he knows how to guide me and above all he loves me unconditionally. But just like me, Boris has health problems and he also takes medication.
Unfortunately, my family support is non-existent, since I was 4 years old it's just been me, life hasn't smiled as many times as I would like, but I've always made a point of leading life with a smile, up until the date of my blindness, I feel I have had such anguish and frustration since I became blind. I've always had pride in myself and in my things, I've always been quite vain and always go out well dressed, nowadays that's over, I don't know if I have stains on my clothes, I don't know if I have a clean face, I don't know what combinations of clothes do, I burn myself countless times because I don't know whether or not I managed to light the stove or the oven and this leaves me immensely sad and psychologically exhausted, I stopped trusting people because at some point they didn't tell me the truth about my clothes or my appearance, thus ending up becoming even more socially isolated.
I was never able to accept my new reality and with each new adversity I accepted less and less. There are some solutions on the market to restore some autonomy to blind citizens, solutions such as reading software, autonomous readers, readers with facial recognition, adapted cell phones, scales with voice, blood pressure meter with voice, blood glucose meter with voice, thermometer with voice, color and pattern identifiers, label identifiers and voice measuring tapes exist among countless solutions. However, in the niche market, these equipment are expensive, they can range from €5 to €5,000 and no matter how much I want, I don't have the financial resources to buy the products I need, I live alone with my rent, water, electricity, internet (because without it, I can't even use my cell phone assistant), due to my health problems I spend a lot of money on medication, due to the health of my dog Boris he also needs medication, I count on the miraculous help of my doctor who has been with me for several years. She is the one who brings me food and groceries when necessary, she is the one who buys me medication when I can't get it, she is the one who has been my guardian angel.
I chose to do this fundraiser with the aim of being able to purchase some support products that I really need in a short space of time, the Portuguese state has help for people with disabilities, however the waiting times for these assignments are long , and priority is given to people with physical disabilities, in my case I have been waiting almost 3 years to get the funds for a cane, a blood pressure meter, a kitchen scale and an adapted cell phone. I am also waiting in a long queue to enter the Centro Nossa Senhora dos Anjos, a rehabilitation center in Lisbon where blind people are taught to be autonomous both in daily life and at work. I cannot and cannot wait any longer, I need help urgently. I still have dreams and desires to be fulfilled, I'm too young, but I need help to achieve these same desires and dreams, I deserve to live with dignity, I deserve to be happy again, to dance again and feel like the Paula Oliveira I always was, happy and in good mood.
I thank everyone who can make their contribution, I sincerely thank everyone who, regardless of their beliefs, stopped to read this rant of mine.
Thanks,
Paula Oliveira
