Once naive to the true impact of his incurable, regressive disability, Chad Bouton would end up facing a turbulent storm of self-hatred before eventually finding calm and unwavering pride in himself.

In part 1 of this conversation, Chad and I talk about what it was like growing up in a military family, the impact legacy medical technology had on his  misdiagnoses, and the devastating day his mother learned that both of her children had Retinitis Pigmentosa. Then, we dive into the emotional rollercoaster he experienced during his first vision dip at 16; the catastrophic intersection between his visual impairment and OCD plus anxiety; and how his second vision dip in college escalated his negative disability identity to absolute disdain on the verge of suicide.