Welcome to DebVellines.com
FAITH WRITER & HOPE GIVER

“Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about what happens to you.” ~ 1 Peter 5:7

Welcome to a place of hope and encouragement. Deb Vellines is dedicated to uplifting those facing vision loss and life’s unexpected challenges. Inspired by her mother Millie’s remarkable journey with macular degeneration and her own battle with a rare brain tumor, Deb shares wisdom through heartfelt blogs and faith-filled devotions. She is here to serve you in three ways—by offering practical advice, spiritual growth, and stories of resilience. Whatever your journey, you’ll find faith and purpose here.

Millie
Mother and Inspiration

Yes, I Can

"My mother adjusted to her blindness so well that her sight-loss support group asked her to visit new members who needed help. Eventually, we wrote a pamphlet with information for those with low vision ... An editor suggested that I write... read more"

Explore below for Deb Vellines' latest writing on macular degeneration, reflections on her journey with an acoustic neuroma, and faith-filled devotions to inspire your spiritual growth.

Yes I Can Blog

With the Yes I Can blog, readers will find practical information about macular degeneration. Deb’s mother, Millie, was blind in both eyes, yet she lived independently and enjoyed life. How she managed this until her passing at age 92 is the focus of the blog.
Recent Post

#77 Alexa

Do you know what Alexa is? Do you know how to use Alexa? Do you know what you can ask her to do? Whether you have low vision or 20/20 vision, she can be super helpful. She has no buttons or dials to fiddle with and no controls to navigate. You only need to use your voice to use her.  Here’s a picture of my Alexa speaker. If you have a smart phone, you don’t need a separate speaker. The phone works just fine after you download and setup the Alexa app. Here are some simple questions or commands...read more
Recent Post

#76 Charles Bonnet Syndrome

Readers, have you ever heard about Charles Bonnet Syndrome? It’s all about visual hallucinations, caused by the brain’s adjustment to significant vision loss. In other words, you see things that aren’t really there. Your brain wants more images than it receives, so it makes things up to compensate for the loss of vision. One study indicated that about 12% of those with macular degeneration will develop this syndrome. If it happens to you and you have never heard about it, it can be super scary....read more
Recent Post

#75 Surviving without Driving

“No driving” and “Give me your keys” might be the hardest words to hear or think about when vision is decreasing. Driving represents our independence, convenience, and freedom. A recent chat on the BrightFocus website is called Surviving Without Driving. Here’s the link to the entire transcript. (link) Here are some of the important points from this wonderful chat. The chat begins with the subject of cognitive decline and driving. A decrease in vision, hearing, and...read more

A New Me Blog

With the A New Me blog, Deb shares her journey with an acoustic neuroma, a rare benign brain tumor. A diagnosis of a major illness presents challenges and brings change, but change can bring new possibilities. No matter the diagnosis, the steps she shares can be helpful.
Recent Post

# 77 – 21 Stress Busters

What causes stress with an acoustic neuroma? Pretreatment is the question – do I need treatment?  If so, what kind and where? Pre and post-treatment, we have the stress – is it growing? Hearing issues. Balance issues. Facial issues. All this is in relation to our diagnosis. The stress of daily living can be caused by a zillion different things. No matter the cause, how do we handle it? Do we know we are feeling stress? How do we know we aren’t handling it in a positive way? Here are some...read more
Recent Post

# 76 Claustrophobia

I went to the Acoustic Neuroma group on Facebook to see what they were talking about today. Someone was wondering how to deal with claustrophobia during the MRIs and with radiation when you have a mask that is bolted down. This is one of my problems, so I replied with my solutions. They may not work for everyone, but they got me thru the MRIs and then the Cyberknife treatment with a mask bolted to the table. I didn’t see much difference between open and closed MRI machines. When I heard the pictures are better...read more
Recent Post

#75 Facial Issues

Readers: Do you have a suggestion for a topic? Do you want more information on a topic I have already covered? I’m looking for ideas. Before my cyberknife radiation, I had one facial symptom. From time to time I felt like an ant was walking across my right cheekbone. I would swipe my cheek, again and again. After about the umpteenth time, when swiping didn’t help, I looked in the mirror. No ant. I was always thankful the sensation didn’t last even a minute. Twitches, spasms, and numbness are strange...read more

Devotions

With the Devotions, Deb offers guidance for spiritual growth. These devotions provide insights on expressing gratitude each day, practicing forgiveness, understanding that salvation is a gift rather than earned, and learning to trust.

The Upper Room - Ebenezer

Read 1 Samuel 7:8 – 12 Then Samuel took a stone . . . and named it Ebenezer, for he said, "Thus far the Lord has helped us." -1 Samuel 7:12 (NRSV) When I sang the words "Here I raise mine Ebenezer hither by Thy help I’m come . . . ", * I had no idea what Ebenezer meant. Then I read First Samuel and learned Ebenezer refers to a stone memorial that Samuel built to remind the people how much God had helped them. The word itself means Stone of Help. I recognize the Lord’s daily...read more

The Secret Place - True Identity

Romans 8:14-17 THOUGHT FOR TODAY: For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” - Romans 8:15 (NKJV) Robbery is something that happens to other people, not to me—until someone took my wallet. Talk about feeling violated, vulnerable, helpless, mad, and angry. I cried from the combination of all those ugly feelings—like someone had hit me in the gut with a two by four. How could this happen?  I...read more

Cast Out Fear - The Upper Room

Read Psalm 40:1-5 Moses said to Joshua, “It is the Lord Who goes before you. He will be with you; He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”  -Deuteronomy 31:8 (NRSV) On the news I saw that the storm damage was horrific. Reporters interviewed residents who were not yet allowed to return home to see what damage their homes might have suffered. Victims wondered: Is my house still standing? How much damage? How do I face the future? Fear of the future can include so many...read more