I'm donning my apron and whisk once again to raise money for Retina Australia.

To raise funds, I am planning a 7 day Easter themed bake off starting on Monday 24 April. Although Easter has passed, while it's still April I feel we should take advantage of the opportunity to celebrate with an excess of chocolate and hot cross buns.

At the end of the week I'll be gathering a few together to set them a task of an Easter hunt made more challenging with special glasses to replicate the experience of tunnel vision which is one of the most common symptoms of living with an inherited retinal disease.

Inherited retinal diseases (IRDs) impact over 16,000 Australians, including yours truly, and are the leading cause of blindness in working age adults. IRDs impact all elements of daily life. While I've been one of the lucky ones to retain as much sight as I have, the road ahead of me will see me lose more and more vision as the years progress.

But the day to day can already be difficult to navigate.

I've had to give up driving which has had a huge impact on my independence. While it's all manageable to get around, it takes a lot more planning and a lot more time. The convenience of getting in a car and going as you please is long gone.

I also struggle a lot at night and in low lighting so heading out for dinner or drinks isn't always the fun experience it should be, it can be incredibly anxiety inducing when I don't know the layout of the venue, constantly worrying if there are stairs or low lying furniture that I just won't see.

There is a lot of this that I can't control (which those who know me well will know that I hate!) but what I can control is how I can support the work of those who are working hard to find solutions to our condition.

The funds raised will go towards supporting some incredible research into future treatments for people like me.

You can follow along the baking journey via the link below

https://www.instagram.com/janecherry/

Thanks for your support

Xx