The Doctor Who Shouted

The doctor was shouting at her. Suzie was 11 years old, with thick pink glasses sitting in his consulting room in Kilkenny and this Dublin specialist was accusing her of making it all up. Just looking for attention, he said.

She burst into tears, but not because she believed him. She was furious that an expert in a position of authority could be so wrong, so cruel and so absolutely certain of himself.

That moment taught Suzie something that would shape the rest of her life: not everyone will help you reach your goals, but that doesn't mean you stop trying.

A Name for What Was Wrong

Three years later, a different doctor, Peter Tormey in Waterford, finally gave Suzie’s condition a name: Stargardt's Disease. A rare inherited condition that creates a cloudy blind spot in the centre of her vision.

The prognosis? Suzie’s sight would continue to worsen throughout her life. She would never drive. Reading would become impossible. Large objects everyone else could spot would disappear before she knew they were there.

She was 14. Suzie had a choice: let her world shrink with her vision, or expand it in ways no one expected.

Building a Life, Not Making Excuses

Suzie chose expansion. After graduating with honours in Marketing and French, Suzie landed prestigious roles with Brown Thomas and Elizabeth Arden in London. She mastered the London Underground by memorising exactly where to stand on platforms and which stairs to take.

Her future husband would test her by removing his jacket on the bus, watching her search for him whilst he giggled. She learned to laugh too.

Returning to Ireland, she launched Bella Mamma, a revolutionary maternity fashion boutique that became the go-to destination for stylish Irish mothers-to-be. She travelled to New York, London and Milan on buying trips, her keen eye for fashion and photographic memory allowing her to build cohesive collections even as her diminishing eyesight made reading order forms very difficult. Revenue hit €750,000. Suzie and her husband Aengus had two kids during this time, two gorgeous sons, Ben & Jamie.

Suzie was thriving, until the day she fell into the pond in St Stephen's Green during a rainstorm, her vision was so compromised she hadn't seen the water until she was waist-deep in it. Soaked, angry and humiliated, she climbed out alone whilst people walked past.

The Guide Dog and the Revolution

That's when she got Jonah, a gorgeous guide dog with a corkscrew tail and a terrible snoring problem. Jonah gave her back her independence and taught her the power of accepting help.

To say thank you, she organised a fundraiser: she'd cycle 750 kilometres from Paris to Nice on a tandem bike, then host a charity lunch at Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud.

These events raised €27,000 for Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind. More importantly, it proved what she'd always known: the only real limitations are the ones we accept.

Today, Suzie continues to cycle with the friends she made in 2021. Her guide dog Jonah has had to retire and her 2nd guide dog Winston is now helping her attend her speaking events.