Art of Aging: Life's challenges

Life can be full of challenges, but in this week's Art of Aging report, we meet a woman who has overcome her trials by meeting them head-on.

Artist, Carol Saylor comes from a family of artists and has been painting since she was a teenager.

When she went blind in her 40's, she didn't give up her love of the visual arts - she simply adapted.

Like many women of her generation, Carol got married after high school and started having children.

It wasn't until she was in her 30's that she decided to go to art school and make a career of her lifelong passion.

"I graduated. I was 39 years old, and I got a junior high teaching job. And that's when I found out I was losing my eyesight," said Carol.

She'd already known she was going deaf. After the diagnosis, she struggled with painter's block and couldn't even pick up a paintbrush.

It took years of meditation and self-hypnosis to overcome it.

Carol said, "When you get something back that you thought you lost, it's twice as good. But, then I had only tunnel vision."

But she still painted. Her works became part of an exhibition of visually impaired artists and were featured at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Carol was thrilled.

But as her sight continued to fail, she slowly transitioned to sculpting, letting her hands be her guide.

"I knew I wanted to continue somehow, that I needed to be happy," she said.

Carol is now working on her memoir, hoping to inspire others to keep on going when life's challenges seem insurmountable.

"I get discouraged, too, and working with my hands is what pulls me out of it," said Carol.

For more inspirational stories, visit our Art of Aging section at 6abc.com.