Molly Burke is a popular Canadian content creator, bestselling author, speaker, model, and advocate who uses her voice, on stage, on screen, and on the page, to educate, entertain, and drive meaningful change for the world.
In August, Molly was a guest speaker at Lake Joe Live: Muskoka Kitchen Party, which raised more than $300,000 to help send 120 children who are blind or have low vision to CNIB Lake Joe. Drawing on her own connection to the camp, she spoke about growing up with sight loss and what Lake Joe has meant to her over the years.
Molly was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa when she was four, and her parents were told she would eventually go blind. In her remarks, Molly reflected on how her family looked for guidance about what her future could hold.
"My family knew nothing about blindness, like many families who are thrust in this position. My mom asked my ophthalmologist, 'Can you introduce us to a blind adult who can give us hope for Molly's future?' But to my doctor, hope meant curing me.”
Molly shared with Lake Joe Live guests that, as she was going blind, she often felt alone, an experience that can resonate with young people who are blind, Deafblind, or have low vision.
"For many of us growing up with low vision, we're the only blind person at school," she said. "We don't see ourselves represented on TV. We're the only blind person at our music lessons, our dance classes, at our summer camp.”
She went on to talk about her first visit to CNIB Lake Joe more than 20 years ago where she met other young people who were also blind or had low vision, including her roommate, Samantha. Though the two were complete opposites, Molly told guests they had “the most important thing in common: we were eleven-year-old girls who were going blind.” More than two decades later, Molly and Samantha are still friends.
As she spoke to guests, Molly recalled how Lake Joe gave her opportunities to try new activities and build skills, including learning to waterski. Years later, while visiting a friend’s cottage, that experience gave her the confidence to get back on the water.
"Instead of being scared and sitting on the dock alone, I was the first to jump in the water and get on the skis."
Following Lake Joe Live, Molly extended her stay at CNIB Lake Joe for four days to take part in Family Week, where she joined families for watersports, campfires, and other activities. During her time at camp, she also spoke one-on-one with a Lake Joe staff member who had recently lost his vision, sharing advice and encouragement.
Molly’s remarks at Lake Joe Live captured what a week at CNIB Lake Joe can mean for a young person who is blind, Deafblind, or has low vision: a chance to meet peers who understand their lived experiences, try new things, and build friendships that can last a lifetime.
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