Shirley's story
Shirley has very kindly pledged to leave a gift to RNIB in her Will.
She got in touch to tell us about her experiences of sight loss and why she has chosen to leave us a gift.
Like 39,000 others, Shirley uses talking books.
She says being able to listen to a book is one of the she can enjoy without having to rely on anyone else.
Shirley tells us about her sight loss and her love of our Talking Book Service.
How RNIB has helped Shirley
"I have age-related macular degeneration but think I got it rather earlier than most as I was only 64 when it first started. At first, it was only in one eye and then I got it in both. This meant I lost the focusing power of my eyes and therefore couldn't read, drive a car, see faces or really see what I was looking at.
I was very angry at first because I'm a retired librarian and have been an avid reader all my life - I thought why should this happen to me? The Talking Book Service is most valuable to me. It really does mean a tremendous amount. I read every night in bed - it's my most consuming interest and always has been. The readers are very professional and often listening to a book can actually enhance the enjoyment from reading it yourself. That is a big consolation, as some of the readers are excellent - they really are.
I have left a gift to RNIB in my Will because of how talking books increase the quality of my life. There must be plenty of people in the same position as me and I'd like others to be able to have this solace as well."
Share your story
Shirley wanted to include RNIB in her Will to ensure that we will be there for other blind and partially sighted people in the future. Please tell us more about how your experience of sight loss influenced your decision to leave a gift in your Will.