A MOTHER'S STORYMy name is Ruby Ryles, and I am the mother of three children, the oldest being a teen-age boy. Dan was born with arrested development of the vascular system of his eyes. In everyday terms this means that the development of his eyes ceased four months before his birth, and he was born totally blind. The first four years of his life were filled with hospitals and specialists. Although I was told by children's specialists that he never would, Dan walked, talked and developed within the normal time frame. Several years ago, Dan began to experience a loss of hearing, which came in sharp decreases. He would catch a mild cold with sniffles and awake a week or so later with a ringing in his ears, which signaled a loss. To no avail, we took him to specialists in Anchorage and Los Angeles. The loss in his left ear was permanent and substantial (50%). Due to loss of our business and also personal financial losses, our family relocated in Seattle. Within the year, Dan's frightening hearing problems recurred, along with more hearing losses. Only this time it was affecting his remaining good ear. A ray of hope occurred when the ear specialist informed us of a relatively new surgery that might stop further loss. However, our family had no medical insurance and very little cash. We were panic-stricken at the thought of not being able to give him the immediate help he needed. Each avenue I followed for assistance was met with a frustrating tangle of bureaucratic red tape, ending with denial of assistance. Our home was very tense as we struggled with the thought of what the future held if we could not get an operation for Dan. His daily life as a teenager held minor nuisances traceable to his blindness, but the added problems of deafness would end his normal life. He was used to traveling quickly and confidently, using his cane and his ears. How would he get around? How would he do his paper route? How could regular Jr. High teachers teach him if he couldn't hear them? What about his music? What about his social life and school friends? In short, he was terrified—as was I. For once, I had no answers for him. After two months of frantically searching for a means to finance Dan's surgery (along with constantly praying that he would not catch another cold in the meantime), I was awakened by a phone call from an official of the American Action Fund for Blind Children and Adults. He began to ask questions concerning Dan's hearing, the need for the surgery, and our personal situation. Even in the mental grogginess of the early morning, I knew a prayer was being answered. Unknown to us, some of our friends had contacted the Action Fund about Dan's problem. Upon learning the details of the situation, the Action Fund agreed to pay the medical costs and helped us schedule surgery immediately. The operation on the first ear occurred within ten days. The surgery and recovery took less than a week, and arrangements were made for the second operation within the month. Dan regained most of his hearing in both ears, and everything seemed to be going well. Then, suddenly Dan started going deaf again. His doctors said the surgery had to be repeated in the right ear. The Action Fund was there again and told us to proceed immediately. No red tape, no quibbling—just the help we needed. This year Dan is a ninth grader in Northshore Jr. High. His curriculum includes: Algebra; History of Southeast Asia, Russia, and the Middle East; Symphony Band; Chemistry; Geology, and Conservation; English; and first year Spanish. He plays baritone horn in the band, with all his music in Braille. He walks to and from classes since we live only a few blocks from school. Several years ago, he began to earn his spending money with a morning paper route in Anchorage. When we moved to Seattle, he took an afternoon route, which he still has. He delivers; he collects; and he handles his customers entirely on his own. When he reaches 16, he wants to work at McDonalds after school. Dan is extremely reliable as a baby sitter for his younger sister and has baby-sat for friends for extra money. He cooks favorite dishes for the family when pressed into service, and will not admit to it but cleans the kitchen conscientiously as part of his household chores. Currently he is looking forward to the ninth grade party, summer activities, and high school next Fall. Because of the American Action Fund for Blind Children and Adults, our son leads a normal life. As a young blind man, he depends on his hearing to allow him to participate fully in the world around him—sometimes, I think, more than a sighted teen. We owe an infinite debt to the American Action Fund for Blind Children and Adults. I can't even imagine where Dan and our family would be without the immediate assistance which helped save his hearing. God bless the American Action Fund for Blind Children and Adults and those who have given so generously to make its work possible—for without you, my son's future would be a frightening uncertainty. |