Christopher T. Monnette

Over the years, I’ve been called many things: father, husband, brother, friend, Marine, entrepreneur, coffee roaster, corporate executive, photographer, and writer—just to name the ones I’m willing to own publicly.

 

In 2013, I added a new label: visually impaired. Like more than 11 million Americans, I was diagnosed with macular degeneration—a chronic, progressive disease that has slowly taken my central vision. That narrow window is responsible for reading, recognizing faces, and seeing color vividly. Losing the ability to recognize a loved one’s face has been, by far, the hardest part.

 

I was scared. And I wasn’t emotionally ready for the vulnerability that comes with vision loss. Writing became a lifeline—a way to make sense of what I was feeling. Over time, it became something more: a way to see the world differently, both literally and figuratively.

 

This blog—and my memoir, Seeing Clearly—are the result of that journey. I share them in the hope that something here might challenge how you see the world, too. Because without challenge, there is no change.