Craig Brown, who lost his sight at 30, discovered a passion for playing the guitar and used it to cope with his blindness.
Learning to play the guitar helped Craig Brown cope with the shock of going blind at the age of 30. The former engineer and motorbike enthusiast, from Leicester, said he initially struggled to deal with the impact of losing his sight. 'My whole life turned upside down, and I spent ages moping and just sitting around,' said the 34-year-old.Mr Brown said: 'My world was quite dark and gloomy, but taking up his suggestion cracked the shell of my depression and helped me cope with going blind.
' Mr Brown said he had visited the opticians when his sight began to fade and was referred to a specialist at the Leicester Royal Infirmary. 'They told me my retinas had started to detach from my eyeballs as a result of type 1 diabetes, which I have had since I was six.'You might think you don't need your eyes to play guitar, but you have to see where your fingers are on the strings, so it was a challenge.'I went online to try to learn a bit from other people and then started posting some videos on social media. 'I didn't think anyone would be interested, but I was surprised to find they were, and they said some really nice things. 'It's a strange thing to say, but going blind has helped me find a whole new community and also given me what I describe as a new kind of sight.'Mr Brown has now set up a social media profile called Blind Guitar Guy, and has 1,000 followers on TikTok. He said he hoped to expand his following to help him raise money for the Leicester-based Vista charity, which helps people with sight loss.'When I lost my licence, they helped me get a disabled bus pass, they helped me adapt my home. They made a real difference at a hard time in my life.'I've started small, but if I get £100 for them, I'll get Vista's logo tattooed on my bicep and put the video of it online for everyone's entertainment.' Mr Brown said he now hoped to work with the charity to help other blind and partially-sighted people learn the guitar.'It's a very proud moment to wear the uniform
Blindness Music Therapy Guitar Diabetes Charity
United Kingdom Latest News, United Kingdom Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Strictly Come Dancing: Rise in visually impaired dance studentsThe success of blind Strictly contestant Chris McCausland has prompted new interest in dance.
Read more »
New Year's Eve Rain and Chilly New Year in Store for New EnglandNew Year's Eve will be dry with mild temperatures until midnight when showers begin and last through New Year's Day. A colder air mass moves in Wednesday bringing snow to northern New England. Strong winds expected Thursday combined with snow could cause power outages and damage. Lake-effect and ocean effect snow possible northwest and off the coast, but much of New England will see a dry, sunny, and chilly weekend. A potential storm next week could bring rain and snow to southern New England.
Read more »
Georgia Harrison loved up with new mystery man as she finally finds happiness after Love Island...Georgia Harrison loved up with new mystery man as she finally finds happiness after Love Island
Read more »
Georgia Harrison wears fishnet bodysuit to the petrol station in racy new snaps...Georgia Harrison loved up with new mystery man as she finally finds happiness after Love Island
Read more »
Woakes finds early breakthrough with New Zealand chasing 583Follow live text updates as England face New Zealand in the second Test in Wellington.
Read more »
Emmerdale moment Marlon finds out about April’s kidnap ordeal in new videoAn unexpected character comments on April Windsor's kidnapping in ITV soap Emmerdale, unaware that Marlon Dingle has been none the wiser.
Read more »