Zena's Story

In 1976 at the age of 9, I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. My diabetes has always been difficult to control and, without the kinds of treatments available today, at the age of 30 I unfortunately became sight impaired.

To say it was a shock is an understatement, however I’m not one to sit around and feel sorry for myself. I was sent off to the RNIB in the UK for 3 months and taught “ How to be blind”. It was very difficult as I had to leave my husband and 7 year old son behind. When I came back I had to rebuild my “new life”. This is where my mum came in. She had been attending pottery classes and convinced me to tag along with her.

Skip 20 years and I now have my own small pottery business and have been a member of Genuine Jersey for 12 years. I take part in lots of local markets and also rent a space at The Harbour Gallery. I must add that without my amazing husband Simon I would never have been able to achieve the things I have since my sight loss.