Things Will Get Better: Bella’s Story
At eighteen months old, one of Bella’s family members noticed something small but telling: her eye seemed to be drifting. That observation led to a diagnosis that would define much of Bella’s childhood: an optic nerve glioma, which is a brain tumor sitting directly on the optic nerve.
“In one week, we went from regular life to being thrown into chemo,” her mom, Amber, remembers.
Now 15-years-old, Bella has spent most of her life on and off chemotherapy since that diagnosis — in remission four different times, only to have the tumor return with each new MRI. The damage to her optic nerve left her legally blind, with vision in one eye and only light and movement perception in the other.
But ask Bella what she wants people to know, and resilience is the first thing she reaches for.
“Don’t let anyone discourage you,” she says. “Be confident, keep your head up high, and don’t let people bring you down.”
Finding New Ways to Do Everything
Bella doesn’t describe her vision loss as something that stopped her — she describes it as something she’s found ways around.
She uses her phone’s zoom features to read recipes while cooking (spaghetti and biscuits with sausage gravy are her go-to dishes — though she’ll be the first to admit that telling when chicken is fully cooked is a genuine challenge when you can’t always see the color change). She’s a second-year member of her school’s Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) program, where she’s learning to cook and sew alongside her classmates.
And she’s constantly on the lookout for what’s next. During her interview, Bella lit up talking about emerging low-vision technology she’s been following online — smart glasses that pair with contact lenses to zoom in and out on demand.
Learning to Navigate
Cane training didn’t come easily at first. Bella had some early training, but without a program close to home, she wasn’t getting the consistent practice she needed, and the cane started to feel more like a trip hazard than a tool.
That changed when she came to NewView Oklahoma.
“They walked me over to the stairs and taught me a little bit, we tested it out, and now I feel like I can go anywhere,” Bella said.
Bella also credits Dr. Horner and the NewView team for more than just the equipment.
“The fact that y’all — and him — are able to provide me with all these devices, give me recommendations, and teach me new ways of navigating is amazing,” she said. She appreciates that her care at NewView feels like a genuine relationship, not just a checklist of appointments.
Looking Ahead
Bella is already thinking about her future. She’s a multi-year participant in OWL Camp (NewView’s youth summer camp) and is already looking forward to the time when she is old enough to attend Keys to Work. She even put the dream into writing during a school exercise that asked students what they’re most looking forward to in the future. Bella wrote: Keys to Work.
Advice for Anyone
When asked what she’d tell her younger self, Bella didn’t hesitate: “Things will get better. Even though things seem really dark for a while, they’ll get better.”
And to her future self? “Don’t worry, because God’s got it.”
She possesses a grounded, hard-won optimism that doesn’t come from having an easy path in life. She has walked a difficult road and found her footing anyway. With the right tools, the right training, and a team in her corner, Bella will be exactly who she envisions herself to be. Vision loss didn’t mean an end. It is a beginning.
