S1E8 | Amanda Bonham & Co-Host Dr. Megan Graff- Blindness, Coping, and Training

Welcome to Episode 8 of My New Normal with special guests Amanda Bonham and Movement Rx’s own Dr. Megan Graff! This episode really has it all: we’re talking pregnancy, what it’s like to be legally blind, what it’s like to train pregnant, what it’s like to live in SoCal, and so much more. Without further ado, let’s get into it!

Amanda is from Tennessee, but moved to SoCal when she met her husband. She’s a massage therapist and has been for about 11 years. Megan moved to California from Texas for Movement Rx (yay!!) and the adaptive community and the Challenged Athletes Foundation.

Amanda was diagnosed with her condition (Stargardt Disease) when she was 10 years old, which was a pretty traumatizing experience for her. At the time, no one really knew much about it so no one explained to her that she had a degenerative eye disease. No one explained that her condition would worsen, so she didn’t appropriately prepare herself for the inevitability of going blind.

In high school her vision started to more rapidly change and she needed more visual aides, which is when she realized that things were going to change. She switched to a private school and commuted to school and started to shift her plans for the future.

Amanda’s way of coping in high school was denial and avoidance. She struggled with depression, anorexia, and cutting. She was placed in multiple treatment centers, but none ever took. Her first day of her Junior year in high school she had a major breakdown and was asked to leave and was sent to a lockdown treatment program where she spent 11 months.

During the treatment program, which she credits with saving her life, she was forced to address her condition head-on and finally cope with the anger and emotions that she hadn’t dealt with before.

TRIGGER WARNING: this episode contains conversation about food disorders and suicidal thoughts.

In this episode we’re talking about:

• What it’s like to be blind
• What it’s like to be blind and pregnant
• Training when you’re pregnant and blind
• How movement can help people cope with PTSD
• How to train someone who is blind and pregnant
• And so so so so much more…..

Listen to My New Normal Podcast here: YouTube iTunes Google Podcast Spotify

To check out my Functional Training for the Adaptive Athlete Online Course (eligible for 0.5 CEU's for NSCA under Category D), visit: https://www.drtheresalarson.com/adaptive-trainers-course/

Help My New Normal raise $2,500 for Challenged Athlete Foundation by January 31st 2019: http://support.challengedathletes.org/site/TR/Events/General?px=1289385&pg=personal&fr_id=1611