MasterChef winner Christine Ha and poet Edward Hirsch on turning blindness into brilliance

Audacious with Chion Wolf

What can you gain when you lose your vision?

Christine Ha was in her early 20s when she began losing her sight. Instead of giving up on her dreams, she taught herself how to cook - so well, in fact, that she became the first and only person who is blind to win MasterChef. Now, she’s a celebrated chef and author who’s proving that great cooking is about taste, texture, and trust - not sight.

And Edward Hirsch, a poet who began losing his sight later in life, discovered something unexpected - exhilaration. He says that blindness has made him more alive, more curious, and more connected to the world in ways he never expected.

Listen to this bonus excerpt from Chion's conversation with Christine Ha where she answers one-of-a-kind questions from a fan —and Chion's friend— Ashley Cook!
Resources:

• List of resources for people with low vision by the American Council of the Blind
• Lighthouse Guild (as mentioned by Edward Hirsch)

Suggested episodes:

• Revealing Our Blind Spots About Blindness

GUESTS:

• Christine Ha: Winner of MasterChef Season 3. She has neuromyelitis optica (NMO), in which a person's own immune system attacks the optic nerves and spinal cord
• Edward Hirsch: Poet and president of the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation. Wrote a guest essay in the NYT: “I am Going Blind, and I Now Find It Strangely Exhilarating.” He has retinitis pigmentosa, a rare genetic disease that causes progressive vision loss

Support the show: https://www.wnpr.org/donate

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chapters

1. MasterChef winner Christine Ha and poet Edward Hirsch on turning blindness into brilliance (00:00:00)

2. Marker 01 (00:14:30)

3. Marker 02 (00:40:15)