Through Taengkwa's Eyes: Navigating Retinopathy and Embracing Special Education

Episode 30

In this episode of the "Through our Eyes" podcast by the Pediatric Retinal Research Foundation, hosts Lisa Recchia and Breyanna Willitt engage with Taengkwa Sturgill, a 22-year-old student studying special education. Taengkwa shares her journey with retinopathy of prematurity, detailing her adoption from Thailand and the challenges she faced due to her visual impairment. She expresses deep gratitude for the care and support she received from Dr. Capone and Associated Retinal Consultants, which helped maintain her light perception through surgeries and ongoing treatments.

Taengkwa discusses her passion for special education, driven by her own experiences and a desire to inspire others facing disabilities. She emphasizes the importance of inclusivity and encouragement in both education and everyday life. Looking ahead, Taengkwa envisions a career dedicated to teaching young children with special needs, aiming to make a lasting impact by fostering positivity and resilience.

• Transcript

  Luisa Recchia (00:02):

  Well welcome everyone to another captivating episode of Through Our Eyes Podcast, brought to you by the Pediatric Retinal Research Foundation. I'm your host, Luisa Reia, and I'm joined by my favorite colleague and co-host Breyanna Willitt. In each episode, we explore the inspiring stories and innovative breakthroughs in the unwavering spirit of individuals and families who face the challenges of retinal diseases head on. We'll dive into the world of research, cutting edge technologies and the compassionate hearts of the people who make it all possible. But before we embark on today's compelling adventure, let's take a moment to thank our incredible sponsors at the Pediatric Retinal Research Foundation. They are the driving force behind our mission to spread awareness, foster hope, and shed light on the invaluable work happening in the field of pediatric retinal research. Together we strive to make a brighter, clearer future for children and families affected by retinal diseases. Here we go.

  Breyanna Willitt (00:59):

  Beautiful. Awesome. Well, hello, thank you so much for joining us today. I guess if you wanna start out by kind of introducing yourself and telling the good people a little bit about yourself, then we can go from there.

  Taengkwa Sturgill (01:14):

  Sure. So my name is Taengkwa Sturgill. I am 22 years old and I'm currently studying special education at the University of Southern Indiana. So this is my fourth year of college and I'm really enjoying my journey to become a future teacher. So, but outside of school I grew up on a farm, so my, my home is raising animals and just really being able to enjoy being outside and enjoy doing what my siblings and everyone else does and, and raising livestock and participating in like Four H and back in school and just being really involved with that.

  Breyanna Willitt (01:54):

  That is awesome. Well, I think we are definitely going to have to keep in contact because that is one of my goals in life is to kind of do the homestead life. So, you know, I might be asking for some advice sometimes.

  Taengkwa Sturgill (02:05):

  Absolutely.

  Taengkwa Sturgill (02:06):

  It is. It's so much fun.

  Breyanna Willitt (02:09):

  That's awesome. So I guess, you know, kind of tell us a little bit about your vision journey and you know, what you kind of went through as far as diagnosis and everything like that.

  Taengkwa Sturgill (02:19):

  So I was born with Retinopathy of Prematurity and actually I did mention earlier, but I was adopted from Thailand. So I've been in, in America for over 15 years now. And so, but when I was born over in Thailand, they didn't have the proper care for me. So it left me with only light perception in my retinas, uh, detached in both eyes. So it wasn't until I got over to America that I started receiving treatment for ROP and in fact it was through the, the doctor I see now works with PRRF or is the president of PRRF. And so I'm very thankful for the care that I received. Over the years I've received surgeries that have helped maintain my light perception and I've gone there for over a decade just to ensure that my eyes are stable. So I'm very thankful for the care that I receive through your organization and through Associated Retinal Consultants.

  Breyanna Willitt (03:23):

  Oh, yes. And we love Dr. Capone, so, yes,

  Taengkwa Sturgill (03:26):

  Yes.

  Breyanna Willitt (03:27):

  That's awesome. So how did you kind of decide that you wanted to go into special education? It was, it kind of just a passion for your whole life?

  Taengkwa Sturgill (03:35):

  It's always been a passion of mine to, to shine a light on others with disabilities because I go through it and I can relate with so much. And my message to those with disabilities is, you know, you can go through life. You, you have to just have to look at it from a positive standpoint and you may have to do things differently, but you are here to serve a purpose. And so, you know, special education, I'm really passionate about that because there's so many children these days that just need a positive light shown on them. And so I've always just been passionate about helping others and making an impact on others' lives.

  Breyanna Willitt (04:16):

  Yeah, that's beautiful. I love that. You know, I feel like especially for kids, you know, it's important to see that just because people are disabled doesn't mean that, you know, it's an end all to life, you know, you can still thrive and be successful and everything.

  Taengkwa Sturgill (04:30):

  Absolutely.

  Breyanna Willitt (04:31):

  Yeah. That's awesome. So are you, you must be kind of almost done then, right? A home stretch as far as, you know, your bachelor's for teaching and everything, right?

  Taengkwa Sturgill (04:42):

  I am in the home stretch. I have another year and I didn't teach in the spring of next year, so it does feel like a long time away, but it's gonna spring up on me for sure.

  Breyanna Willitt (04:53):

  Oh yeah, that's awesome. That'll be super exciting though. I always love the idea of like student teaching just to get in and, you know, actually see what you're gonna be able to do and everything. That's awesome. So let's see, so are you the oldest, you have siblings? Like were you the only one that was adopted or did you have others that came over with you?

  Taengkwa Sturgill (05:16):

  I am the youngest of four and so my three older siblings were not adopted. But what was really cool is that when my parents came to adopt me back in 2007, all of my siblings came over to Thailand. And so I just thought that was so special and I'm sure they thought so too. Yes.

  Breyanna Willitt (05:34):

  Oh yeah, that has, that's super exciting. Oh man. Beautiful. So I guess, you know, have you had any struggles or anything that you've kind of encountered in, you know, either the educational system or anything like that that you've kind of had to, you know, put your own twist on how you've done things and stuff like that?

  Taengkwa Sturgill (05:54):

  So as for like education, when I was younger I went through public school and while I had the accommodations, I think it was more like, okay, so something didn't work, so now we need to change how we, you know, implement each lesson. I think it was just a trial and error until it worked. And so that's something that like I've had to learn over the years is that it's not always going to happen on one try. Like you're gonna have to keep trying different methods to ensure that you're gonna, you know, get the lesson or get the content across. And so, but I've been very blessed with the teachers that I've had over the years and just the support my parents, my TVI and other paraprofessionals and so just the support that they've given me to ensure that I was able to get through school.

  Breyanna Willitt (06:44):

  Mm, definitely. Is there like one, if you had like one piece of technology to do everything on, what would you, what do you think you would, would find? Oh man, if I could talk, try that again. If you could have one piece of technology for everything, you know, to do everything on, would you choose your phone? Would you choose your laptop? What do you think is the most helpful to, you know, being successful in school? When

  Taengkwa Sturgill (07:09):

  I was in school I had a, a braille note taker that I, it was a refreshable braille display and I literally wanted to do everything on it. They don't make them anymore, but it was like my go-to like, now I have my phone, but before then it acted like my phone. I would, I would have it in my hands all the time and I would do more than just do schoolwork on it. Like I, that was like my first glimpse at the technology that is out there. Yeah,

  Breyanna Willitt (07:40):

  I, I don't even know. I've heard of them, but I guess I've never really gotten exactly what those braille display things do. Do you wanna kind of tell the people <laugh>

  Taengkwa Sturgill (07:50):

  The braille displays the braille note takers. You can, you can type on 'em. They have like word processors and I know you can do more on them. I have a different one now, but you can like play like audio books and you can read, read like Word documents. So it basically works like a, a regular computer, but you know, it's, it's in braille.

  Breyanna Willitt (08:14):

  Oh, interesting. That is super. Wow. I never knew, like obviously I am not very good at braille. Yeah. I can kind of pass I guess Definitely Unconjugated. So I've never had, you know, the chance to kind of play around with one, but they sound super interesting.

  Taengkwa Sturgill (08:29):

  It has definitely, you know, helped me get through college and I don't have to carry around, you know, heavy braille books anymore because everything is like digital and braille.

  Breyanna Willitt (08:39):

  Do you think you definitely prefer like digital now then?

  Taengkwa Sturgill (08:44):

  I would think so, yeah. Only because like for convenience, like it's easier to, to carry around. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative>. But I do miss my hard copy braille. I, I sometimes miss reading it, it on paper.

  Breyanna Willitt (08:56):

  Yeah. <laugh>, that's always been, you know, it's interesting to talk to people now who, you know, are kind of like me who get by via technology rather than I guess the old fashioned way of braille. That's awesome. Well, I guess, is there any other questions that Louisa might have for you?

  Luisa Recchia (09:13):

  Yes, hi. Thanks for asking Brey. Just a couple of questions. I always like to ask, you know, young adults, you know, if there was a piece of advice that you would share to the parents out there in the world, what would that be? You know, raising a child with a visual impairment.

  Luisa Recchia (09:31):

  Something that my parents and even my family has always told me is that I can do anything that I put my mind to. I've never been told, no, I can't do this. I, I wasn't told no, I couldn't go to college to get a degree in special education or no, I, I couldn't, you know, go out and visit with my farm animals. Um, they've never stopped me from doing anything. They've always been behind me supporting me and really just guiding me along the way. And so I'm really grateful that they have allowed me to just to do what everyone else does to be included.

  Breyanna Willitt (10:06):

  Absolutely. I feel like that's super important just for parents to keep in mind, you know? Yeah. You gotta let, just let kids be kids, kinda, you know.

  Taengkwa Sturgill (10:14):

  Yes, yes.

  Luisa Recchia (10:16):

  And the same thing, if I asked you if there's, you know, a piece of advice that maybe you could share with the education, uh, the teachers out there, you know, what, what, what are you gonna do different? Knowing now, you know, what uh, what you know from before?

  Taengkwa Sturgill (10:32):

  I think for teachers is to just be inclusive and making sure that like, you know, the kids with the disabilities get to do exactly what you know their peers are doing. They get to interact with their peers that, you know, they're treated the same, you know, 'cause you wouldn't want them to, you know, treat the teachers differently. So you would want the teachers to treat the, the children all the same, but accommodate too, so that they can be treated the same and included. Definitely.

  Breyanna Willitt (11:01):

  And not to make a big deal out of it, I think is one of the biggest things I know for, at least for me, you know, that awkward moment of being called out, I guess in front of everybody is kind of like uncomfortable. <laugh>. Awesome.

  Luisa Recchia (11:13):

  Beautiful, beautiful. Now let's go to your siblings. What would you tell a sibling out there of their younger or older sibling with a visual impairment?

  Taengkwa Sturgill (11:24):

  So, with my siblings, you know, they included me in a lot of their playing. A lot of times it was a bit of, you know, sometimes it was roughhousing outside or sometimes it was, you know, just bantering back and forth with each other. It never like treated me differently. We played with each other, of course we had our moments and we argued, but what I would say is just treat them and love them like a sister or a brother. Beautiful.

  Luisa Recchia (11:49):

  Definitely. I love it. I love it. So another question, question that I'd have for you is, you know, it's 10 years from now and you've graduated college and you're off to on the path of your career. Uh, what does that look like for you?

  Taengkwa Sturgill (12:02):

  I'm really picturing myself in a school where I can just work with young children. I've, I'm drawn to working with young children with young special education children. And so my dream is to be in a classroom and really just seeing the, and seeing the smiles on the kids' faces, you know, not through my eyes, but hearing it through their voices and just their actions. And I'm really hoping that when those kids grow up, the kids I teach, when they grow up, that they'll remember me. That I've had a huge impact on their life.

  Breyanna Willitt (12:39):

  I'm sure you will, I'm sure you'll touch many children's lives, you know, just coming and being, you know, socially, I guess different. I'm sure you know, they will definitely remember you and I'm sure that you will teach them many, many things about navigating the world.

  Taengkwa Sturgill (12:56):

  Of course.

  Luisa Recchia (12:57):

  So what I, I have all these questions that keep popping in my head, <laugh>, but I love it. So let's go back and share with, share with the audience. You know, if you, if you could change something, if anything up until now, what would that have been? What would you have done maybe differently or would've done that you didn't do? What, what what would you share with the audience?

  Taengkwa Sturgill (13:18):

  That is a hard one. I've never really like thought about that. I've really always just been, I don't know that I would like change anything about, you know, me. I've always just been blessed with what I've had and go with the flow. I

  Breyanna Willitt (13:32):

  It's always a good attitude to have just kind of handle whatever life throws at you.

  Taengkwa Sturgill (13:36):

  Yes.

  Luisa Recchia (13:37):

  Beautiful. Beautiful. Awesome. Yeah. So if there's a piece of advice that you'd like to give folks that are walking the path that you've already walked, even entering college, what advice would you give other young adults out there that may be struggling with the same visual impairment that you, you have?

  Taengkwa Sturgill (13:59):

  Stay positive and really, you know, just learn to adapt and even, you know, despite your blindness or you know, degree of visual impairment, you are here, you know, to serve a purpose. And you may not see it yet, but there is, you know, that light at the end of the tunnel. And so, you know, keep trying and persevere and those who tell you that you can't accomplish something, you know, don't listen to those people because only you can know that you can accomplish, you know, your own dreams.

  Breyanna Willitt (14:29):

  Couldn't have said it better myself. <laugh>.

  Luisa Recchia (14:30):

  Right. I love it. I love it. So is there, go ahead. Go ahead.

  Breyanna Willitt (14:35):

  I just have one more question before you go. I would love to know what kind of farm animals, you know, you had. I think what is your favorite farm animal?

  Taengkwa Sturgill (14:44):

  So the farm animals we raise are cows and they are so sweet. They're so calm and you can just go up to them and pet them and they'll, they'll let you pet them. And when we were, when I was younger, I used to show cattle for Four H and that was like one of the highlights of like my summers and we would do cattle shows at other places as well. And so that was always really enjoyable and just being out there and, and exhibiting my animals. And so I really enjoyed that. That was like the highlight of my childhood.

  Breyanna Willitt (15:18):

  Yeah. We'll definitely I'll, we'll we'll keep in contact <laugh> of course. Beautiful. I mean, do you have anything else before we go? You know, any fun? I know you've given a bunch of advice and everything. Any final remarks or anything like that?

  Taengkwa Sturgill (15:32):

  Really what's been on my mind to say is just to step out in this world in faith and that's, that's like my go-to saying is to, to step, to walk in faith.

  Breyanna Willitt (15:45):

  Beautiful. I love it.

  Luisa Recchia (15:47):

  What a perfect way to end the conversation. I love that. Yeah. We all, we all need something to fall on. That's beautiful. Well, we'd love to have you back some time, especially when you graduate. I'd love to hear how that went, how you're doing. Yeah. Where you're headed. We'd love, we'd love, love to share that and, and be, uh, an opportunity to support you in any way that we can. And we'd love to have you back to the PRRF. I mean, we are a community of growth-minded people. We're trying to grow the community of family and patients that have gone through these challenges in life to be able to share with others. So that, uh, sounds like you had a, a beautiful upbringing and we're very blessed and we'd love, we'd love to be a part of that for others in the world.

  Taengkwa Sturgill (16:37):

  Thank you. Thank you so much. Thank

  Luisa Recchia (16:39):

  You. And I know you're gonna touch many lives. I love it.