Blind Woman Trains As Massage Therapist

Matilda — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 16:28:58 +0000

© KETV-TV, OMAHA, Nebraska — Mandy Somer guided black fabric through her sewing machine like she’s an old pro. It’s with that same ease that she’s lived every aspect of her life: going to college, taking on new interests and trying to earn a living. “I feel like a rule breaker sometimes. I’ve never done what was expected of me, ever,” the young woman said, laughing. Somer recently created a broomstick skirt at her sewing machine, and showed off a closet full of her sewing handiwork, including laced trimmed dresses she sewed for her other hobby, Civil War re-enacting. Her passion for trying new projects and pushing herself outweighs her disability. “I went blind when I was 12,” Somer explained. The 30-year-old was born with congenital glaucoma. Her retinas detached on Christmas Day, 18 years ago. She has no vision at all. “I get hooked on something. If I get a hold of something that I feel passionate about. I don’t let it go. I don’t let it go,” she said. Her current passion is massage therapy. She’s a student at Omaha’s Universal College of Healing Arts where she’ll graduate next spring as the first blind student of the school…. READ ARTICLE

Matilda Ziegler Magazine for the Blind » Mandy Somer

Blind Woman Trains As Massage Therapist