To the Editor:
February 07, 2007 10:53 am
—
Eighty-three-year-old Western Maryland native Charles Johnson entered World War II in 1942 at the age of 19 and served in Italy. He was a demolitions expert in the war and his duties included loading bombs and ammunition on the planes which flew their dangerous missions into Germany and helped turn the tide of the war.
He returned home to Western Maryland when his tour of duty was complete and started a family. Charles worked at the Kelley-Springfield tire company in Cumberland for 41 years and for most of the last 14-years Lived at the Kensington Algonquin, a local assisted living facility.
On the morning of May 1, 2006, Charles awoke to find his world had completely changed; he was totally blind. Charles' doctors indicated that his complete loss of vision was probably due to an embolism and offered him no hope of recovery. It was quickly decided that Charles would give up his apartment at the Kensington and move to the Allegany County Nursing and Rehabilitation Center where he could receive the comprehensive care he needed.
When I first met Charles it was a hot, humid mid-May day and he lay in bed, wondering how he would cope with this new challenge which had robbed him of his independence. He was unaware of what furniture was in his room, the location of the bathroom or even where his shoes were. I introduced him to the white cane, oriented him to his room and told him that Blind Industries and Services of Maryland (BISM) would assist him in regaining his independence.
Was it fate or coincidence that the following week, (BISM,) with partial funding from the State Division of Rehabilitation Services, would be conducting a program geared to the needs of seniors who were coping with vision loss? I'll leave that question to those who ponder such things and simply tell you that I persuaded Charles to come for one day and see if we could offer him some solutions to help him regain his independence. To say that Charles was a bit overwhelmed that first day would be a great understatement! He received more training in the use of the white cane, was shown devices to help him with hand-writing and he cut up vegetables for a stew which all the seniors helped to prepare. At the end of the day we asked Charles if he would return the following day and he agreed after some heavy arm twisting by our caring and competent staff.
When I think of how far Charles has come since that first day in May I freely admit that I am extremely proud of him. In addition to total vision loss, Charles has a marked hearing impairment and occasionally loses his balance. He has fallen on several occasions but there is no quit in this World War II combat veteran. Charles enjoys reading the Cumberland Times-News using our computers with speech output. He assists with meal preparation. He reads books on audio tap, a device he has learned to operate independently. He is learning to read Braille and he particularly likes our occasional outings to McDonalds where he polishes off a hamburger, fries and coffee. Just before Christmas, Charles waited with our staff and other visually impaired seniors in the cold December air to take the Allegany County Transit System bus to the Country Club Mall for some shopping and of course, lunch at McDonalds. He examined the items on display in the various kiosks and sang along with the Christmas carols being played on the bus as we returned to our center.
His biggest accomplishment to date came just last week, as he was able to use his white cane to walk from our first-floor lobby to our second-floor classroom without any verbal prompting.
Our staff has adopted Charles as our grandfather. This quiet, sensitive, man with his dry wit and excellent sense of humor is proof positive that with patience and perseverance blindness does not have to mean the end of your life. It is no exaggeration to say that Charles is an inspiration to both our staff and his fellow seniors.
Roger Williamson
Blind Industries and Services of Maryland
Copyright © 1999-2008 cnhi, inc.