Hi, my name is Kidist Puig-Lynch.
I am fourteen years old and I live in Wicklow. I was born in Ethiopia and I moved to Ireland as a baby. I speak English with my dad and Catalan with my mum, I learn Irish and Spanish at school and know some ISL as I learned it when I was younger. •I like reading, walking my dog, horse riding and playing basketball.
I found out I had Usher syndrome at the age of eight or nine. I don’t remember anything about my diagnosis. I just remember I couldn’t see anything in the dark. I don’t remember not having implants, it’s been such a long time since I got them.

What does having Usher Syndrome mean to me?
Usher syndrome is a big part of me but does not define me. My parents have always pushed me to be independent and have high expectations. I don’t think about it that much and I don’t get cross or depressed about it. It is an inconvenience and I do get frustrated sometimes,  for example when I go on an outing with a big group (like with my class) and maybe part of it is dark and I need assistance and I feel like I’m holding everyone else back.
I find my deafness more of an inconvenience because my difficulty seeing is only really noticeable at night-time but I’m always deaf.  I’m always playing catch up.
My lack of balance was more annoying when I was younger, when everyone was doing handstands and cartwheels, and I couldn’t. But now we’re older everyone has quietened down a lot more and It’s not really an issue.