Not fade away : a memoir of senses lost and found
(Book)

Born with a rare genetic mutation called Usher Syndrome type III, Rebecca Alexander has been simultaneously losing both her sight and hearing since she was a child, and was told that she would likely be completely blind and deaf by age 30. Then, at 18, a fall from a window left her athletic body shattered. None of us know what we would do in the face of such devastation. What Rebecca did was rise to every challenge she faced. She refused to lose her drive, her zest for life and--maybe most importantly--her sense of humor. Now, at 35, with only a sliver of sight and significantly deteriorated hearing, she is a psychotherapist with two masters' degrees from Columbia University, and an athlete who teaches spin classes and regularly competes in extreme endurance races. She greets every day with boundless energy, innate curiosity, and a strength of spirit that have led her to places we can't imagine. Here, Rebecca tells her extraordinary story, meditating on what she's lost, and what she's found in return.--From publisher description.