"I'm so sorry, Miss Grey..." Dr Melton says from behind his precious desk.
"How?" I croak, tears dribbling from my eyes. "I can see fine, it can't be true!"
He inhales slowly, picking up my chart. "It's called Cone Rod Dystrophy. It's an inherited progressive disease that causes the deterioration of the cone and rod photoreceptor cells and often results in blindness." He explains, "The cornea and lens first focus the light. The light then passes through the pupil. This light will then be focussed onto the back of the eye by the lens. The back of the eye is covered by tiny little patches called photoreceptors which collect information about the visual world on a light sensitive film like muscle at the back of your eye called the retina which then sends the image to the brain through the optic nerve."
Most of this flies straight over my head... I'm far too traumatised to hear his words properly.
Mom and Dad had to drive me three and a half hours to get to this specific doctor because his skills are the best. Now we were here and I was getting these results, I was sure we'd be here much more often.
My face falls into my hands. "I'm only seventeen, this isn't fair..." I sob, my hair forming curtains around my face. "What are the treatments?"
"I'm sorry, Lauren, but there are no known treatments as of yet. I know it's a horrible thing, but many people have this disease and the survival rate is often 100%. Although your vision will be gone, you'll still be physically fine as it is just coming on now. Had you been born with it, you may've been born with deformities, learning disabilities..." He says.
I shake my head. "How long do I have?" I say, my eyes shooting back to his.
Who knew how many more times I'd see the sky, my friends, my mother and father...?
"Twelve to sixteen months..." He says solemnly.
I gasp, more tears spilling down my cheeks.
I drop my head again, my chest wracking with each sob.
I can't sit in this office anymore; I have to get out of here...
Snatching my bag from the floor at my feet, I run from the office, Dr Melton calling after me.
"Lauren?" Mom says a worried expression on her face. Dad stands from his seat and opens his arms and I run right into them.
My sobbing form is cradled by his arms as Mom hurries to the office where Dr Melton is.
"Honey, I'm so sorry, oh, my baby girl..." He sooths, one of his hands rubbing my back while the other pats down my hair.
My vision will be gone in a year and there's nothing I can do about it...
Sitting in the car with my forehead pressed against the glass, I listen to Mom and Dad talking in the front while Dad drives us home.
"The next appointment is in two days, Phil. This travelling is getting to be too much..." Mom says to dad, her voice sounding stressed, tired and worried. "We need to think very seriously about relocating to the town..."
Dad sighs, "I know, but it's a lot for her right now..." He says quietly, obviously thinking I'd be asleep.
Who'd sleep after such a life changing event like that, though? Not me...
"So is travelling every second day for six hours round trip..." Mom grumbles, her eyes secured on Dad.
He nods, "You're right, Francine..." He says, driving Mom's Mercedes steadily toward home.
When we finally reach the house, I trudge to my bedroom, collapsing on my bed in the darkness.
The next couple of weeks blur passed and rapidly the house is packed, day by day, room by room.
Finally Mom and Dad are ready to call the movers... They pack all of our furniture onto the trucks and we drive our own cars to our new home in Springston.
The house is stone in some parts and rendered in others. I really like it, but being enthusiastic is kind of impossible now...
It takes another three weeks to fully unpack everything, during which time we met Dr Melton a total of five times, discussing symptoms, risks and the still and likely constant lack of treatment. He'd said I should begin learning Braille...
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