A Grounded Horizon
Living Beyond a MacTel Diagnosis
You can't control how MacTel will affect your vision.
You CAN control the rest of your story.
Meet Melissa Williams
I’m a nurse with nearly 30 years of experience, a board-certified nurse life coach, and a fellow MacTel patient.
I spent the first 15 years of my career caring for critically ill children in the pediatric ICU and as a neonatal/pediatric flight RN, followed by 14 years in nursing operations leadership at a tertiary healthcare system.
This included 10 years leading a high-volume pediatric infusion center where I worked extensively with high-dollar therapies, insurance authorization, and patient and family navigation.
MacTel changed my vision, but it didn’t end my nursing career—I adapted, becoming a board-certified nurse life coach and eventually finding myself on the other side of the healthcare system, navigating my own path to Encelto, the implant made by Neurotech, as the first patient in Ohio to receive the implant and ultimately receiving implants in both eyes.
Since then, I’ve helped three other MacTel patients navigate their authorization and implant journeys. I created this coaching because patients shouldn’t need decades of healthcare experience to understand the process, ask the right questions, and confidently advocate for themselves.
MY STORY
For 30 years, I worked in nursing and healthcare.
Then MacTel changed the direction of my life.
Receiving a diagnosis can bring questions that don't always have a place in a medical appointment—questions about identity, work, relationships, independence, what matters now, and what comes next.
My own experience with MacTel led me to create A Grounded Horizon—a space where people can receive guidance and support as they navigate the life that exists alongside their diagnosis. I'm not here to tell you what your medical future will be. I'm here to help you navigate the life you're living now—and explore what might still be possible for the chapters ahead.
Melissa Williams - Living with MacTel Interview
Facing the Unknown
First Symptoms
Looking Forward
WHY GROUNDED HORIZON
Experience, expertise, and lived experience—brought together to support you beyond the diagnosis.
BOARD-CERTIFIED NURSE COACH
A structured approach to what comes next.
As a nurse life coach, Melissa helps people explore their thoughts, values, needs, choices and priorities as they navigate change.
REGISTERED NURSE
30 years of nursing and healthcare experience.
Melissa understands healthcare from the inside.
She understands that medical appointments are an important part of living with MacTel—but they may not answer every question that comes with adapting to life after diagnosis.
LIVED EXPERIENCE
I live with MacTel, too.
Melissa isn't speaking about MacTel only from a professional perspective.
She understands what it means to receive a diagnosis and live with uncertainty personally.
These three perspectives are central to the offer positioning.
still have questions after reviewing everything
bOOK YOUR dISCOVERY CALL
You don’t have to navigate this next chapter alone.
Schedule a discovery call to talk about your goals, questions, and what support could look like for you.
Schedule a free discovery call today and find a time that works for you.
What client say
“Melissa coached me through some of the most difficult moments of my life with a powerful yet gentle presence. She created a safe, judgment-free space that helped me reconnect with my own clarity while navigating severe parental alienation, family-of-origin trauma, and chronic health challenges. Her compassion and thoughtful questions helped me feel seen and supported and move through these challenges with more confidence and steadiness. I’m deeply grateful for the way she walked alongside me.”
Charis D.
“I looked forward to every session with Melissa. She made it easy to open up, listened with kindness, and always offered support that helped me feel stronger and calmer. She taught me how to handle difficult situations and maintain a positive outlook, and I know I wouldn’t be as optimistic today without her guidance. Melissa is knowledgeable, understanding, and truly cares. I would 100% recommend nurse life coaching — she helped me through so much, and I know she’ll help others just as powerfully.”
Amanda J.
