- Lisa Reed, from Auckland in New Zealand, had her vision restored at 24
- She was leaning down to kiss her dog goodnight when she hit her head
- A tumour was pressing down on her optic nerve which led to her blindness
- Blind Week in New Zealand runs from October 29 to November 3
- Fundraising campaign helps people like Ms Reed who are vision-impaired
Louise Cheer for Daily Mail Australia
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A New Zealand woman, who had no vision since she was 11, had her sight restored one night when she hit her head on a coffee table.
Lisa Reid, from Auckland, has a tumour pressing down on her optic nerve and in 2000 she was not able to see at all.
But on the night of November 15, 2000, that all changed when Ms Reid – who was 24 at the time – crouched down to kiss her guide dog at the time, Ami, goodnight and accidentally knocked her head on her coffee table.
Lisa Reid woke up one morning in November 2000 after she bumped her head on her coffee table
The next morning, she woke up and some of her vision had been restored.
‘Nobody knows what happened or can explain it,’ Ms Reid, now 38, told Daily Mail Australia.
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‘I can’t really find words to describe how it felt – amazing, fantastic.
‘You can imagine not being able to see and then you can, you can’t really describe that.Â
‘To see the world again visually is a gift.’
Ms Reid (pictured here with her dog, Ami, Â in 2000) was 24 when he sight was partially restored
She was leaning down to kiss her dog, Ami, goodnight when she briefly struck her head
To help her cope with her visual impairment, Ms Reid has been supported by New Zealand’s Blind Foundation and said without them she would be ‘lost without them’.
Every year the foundation hosts Blind Week – which started on October 29 this year and will run until November 3.
Ms Reid is sharing her story with the world to help them raise awareness and funds to help the foundation provide the services which she has been using since she was 14.
‘They’ve been amazing. They’ve helped give me the freedom to have my independence,’ she said.Â
‘I would be a bit lost without them. I’m grateful for what they’ve given me.’
The New Zealand woman (pictured here with her daughter, Maddison, and new dog, Heidi) has been blind since she was 11 because of a tumour pressing on her optic nerve
On November 16, it will be 14 years since Ms Reid got her sight back.
She recalls that one of her most shocking moments she had when she was able to see again – the changes in her brother.
‘He was a man… with a goatee and everything. My brother’s a man,’ Ms Reid said.
‘When I saw my mum, I was like: “You look the same but older.â€Â
‘I turned into a woman and my brother turned into a man.’
Funds raised during the week will help people with vision impairments to live independently, keep up with the latest technological advances, read and seek more job opportunities.
For more information about Blind Week, visit blindweek.org.nz.
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