Rankin Inlet (Nov 01/06) - Rankin Inlet's Rosalie Pissuk has a story to tell and she's doing it through music.

Pissuk, 40, took it hard when she lost her sight to a medical condition at the tender age of 18.

A number of songs on Rosalie Pissuk's new CD, Be Strong in Yourself, are self-reflections on being a visually-impaired person living in Rankin Inlet. - Darrell Greer/NNSL photo

She cried over her lost sight for a long time, and would feel a deep ache in her heart when she would hear her mother crying for her, as well.

The adjustment was a painful one, living in Rankin with no professional help to turn to for guidance.

While her family members did their best to support her during those trying times, the outside world was a different story.

Anger would rise up inside when people avoided her, unable to see the real person behind the dark glasses.

"I don't think people meant to be mean, they just had a hard time being themselves around me," said Pissuk.

"They didn't realize I just wanted to be accepted like everyone else.

"I would sense people staring at me and, when I'd hear them sigh, I knew they were feeling pity for me.

"At that time, I would get so angry that I wanted to scream I was still Rosalie."

As time passed, Pissuk started to accept her blindness.

She realized it did no good to feel sorry for herself or to let others feel sorry for her.

That, she said, is when she found her inner-strength.

"That's when I began to accept my situation and I'm more comfortable with people staring at me now because I realize it's part of nature.

"More people see me as Rosalie now and treat me like any other person, but strangers, or people I hardly know, just see me as blind.

"Although I've grown comfortable with that, and my feelings don't get hurt the way they used to, I prefer those who see me as Rosalie."

Pissuk recently recorded a CD titled, Be Strong in Yourself, at Rip Roar productions in the Ottawa Valley.

The bilingual CD is an eclectic mix of folk, rock and button-accordion tunes.

She wrote every song, all of which have special meaning to her.

"I use the songs to express how I feel inside about struggling with blindness, and the feeling alone you sometimes have to deal with.

"Other songs are about family, children, nature, my love for the ocean and support to a friend.

"Whenever a melody would come into my head, I'd take my keyboard and start writing the song."

Pissuk said more could be done in Nunavut to help people like her cope, but she realizes the difficulties, especially in small hamlets.

She said as much as the help is needed, it doesn't make sense for a professional counsellor to be hired full-time in a community with one or two visually-impaired residents.

"There are no easy answers in the North, so you have to accept your situation and try to figure out ways to make your life better.

"There will always be people who have a hard time accepting you if you're different in any way.

"In some ways, they present the biggest challenge.