"What we have once enjoyed we can never lose. All that we love deeply becomes a part of us." ~ Helen Keller

Hello Friends,
Year four with my guide Fia started in September of this year. Fia turned six years old on April 8th. Her desire and drive for her work has never been stronger. She has never been more willing and eager to please.

Our partnership strengthened once again this fall with a trip together. We traveled together on an airplane for the first time without our family to Los Angeles. The trip went flawlessly (of course) as my guide took me through JFK airport to board the plane and off the plane at LAX to the baggage carousel as if we had been done this exact same route of travel daily for the last four years. The feeling of accomplishment once I checked into my hotel room is difficult for me to put into words. But, the confidence I have that my diminishing vision will not imprison me can easily be seen as Fia and I effortlessly make our way though our community and wherever I choose to go.

The statistics are staggering:

• Almost 5 million Americans over the age of 40 are visually impaired or blind
• 2 million Americans over the age of 50 have Age Related Macular Degeneration
• 4.5 million Americans over the age of 40 have diabetic retinopathy
• 2.3 million Americans over the age of 40 have glaucoma

In order for people to stay engaged and productive the need for mobility, freedom and independence is greater now more than ever before. Please help me to help someone else receive that gift of freedom and independence. Please donate what you can. Please pass this e-mail on to a friend.

Thank-you,
Alan & Fia Fidelco