Post by Comfort Yako Asala (@Com4th)

Seeing Without Eyes
​Two years ago, my son was admitted to a pediatric ward. It was a semi-private room designed for two patients; for the first day, we were alone. By the second evening, the empty bed was filled by a ten-year-old girl named Fatima and her mother. We skipped the formalities of diagnoses and settled into the shared rhythm of hospital life.
​The next morning, Fatima’s family arrived to visit, and it was then I realized she was a twin. She had a brother named Abdullahi.
​He walked into the room side-by-side with his father, moving so naturally that I suspected nothing. He didn't carry a cane, and his eyes appeared perfectly normal. It was only when his mother began sharing their story—how the twins were born prematurely and how Abdullahi had gradually lost his sight as a result—that I realized he was blind. When it was time for them to leave, he navigated his way out of the room with ease, guided only by the occasional soft direction from his mother.
​That night, Fatima’s mother mentioned how uncomfortably warm she had been the night before. I suggested we swap the children’s beds to give them better airflow. We made the switch and settled in for the night.
​The following day, Abdullahi returned to visit his sister. We all exchanged pleasantries as Abdullahi jumped on his sister's bed to give her a hug. Moments later, he turned to his mother and asked in Hausa, "Mama, why did you switch the beds?"
​I froze, glancing at his mother. She met my eyes and smiled, clearly used to my look of pure amazement. She calmly answered him, and life in the ward continued—but I remained struck by the realization that while Abdullahi couldn't see the room, he "knew" it in a way the rest of us didn't.

We often believe that our vision is defined by what our eyes can see. We look at a wall and see a barrier. We look at a dark room and see an end to the path. But science and nature tell a different story: Vision is not a function of the eyes; it is a function of the mind.
If you feel like you are walking in the dark right now, remember that the most incredible navigators in this world don’t need light to find their destination.
You don't need to see the whole staircase to take the first step; you just need to feel the ground beneath you and the fire within you.
Open your mind, and you will realize that you have never needed your eyes to see your future.

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