When Jill Hinton Wolfe was diagnosed with a degenerative eye disease, she feared she’d lose her identity as a veteran, a mother, and a professional.  Like many who’ve worn the uniform, she prided herself on resilience, believing strength meant carrying the weight alone, no matter how heavy it became. Suddenly, the smallest things—reading a menu, driving her kids to school, navigating a crowded room—were no longer possible without help.

In those early days, Jill felt unmoored. That’s when she found BVA. BVA provided her with a community that refused to let her disappear into isolation and helped remind her that sight loss does not mean the loss of vision.

Through her journey navigating sight loss with the BVA community, she learned that resilience is the courage to ask for help, the grace to accept it, and the determination to turn it into leadership. Now, Jill travels the country with her guide dog Hannah at her side as an author, speaker, and advocate – proof of what’s possible when a veteran has the right support to choose hope over despair, and community over isolation.