Friday, April 15, 2005
This a touchin story of a independent blind woman who turned blind at 34. As she cld see for 34 yrs but being blind all of a sudden she cldnt take it at 1st. N how she overcome it eventually.
The passengers on the bus watched sympathetically as the attractive, young
woman with the white cane made her way carefully up the steps. She paid
the driver and, using her hands to feel the location of the seats, walked
down the aisle and found the seat he'd told her was empty. Then she
settled in, placed her briefcase on her lap and rested her cane against
her leg.
It had been a year since Susan, thirty-four, became blind. Due to a
medical misdiagnosis she had been rendered sightless, and she was suddenly
thrown into a world of darkness, anger, frustration and self-pity. Once a
fiercely independent woman, Susan now felt condemned by this terrible
twist of fate to become a powerless, helpless burden on everyone around
her. "How could this have happened to me?" she would plead, her heart
knotted with anger. But no matter how much she cried or ranted or prayed,
she knew the painful truth her sight was never going to return. A cloud of
depression hung over Susan's once optimistic spirit. Just getting through
each day was an exercise in frustration and exhaustion. And all she had to
cling to was her husband Mark.
Mark was an Air Force officer and he loved Susan with all of his heart.
When she first lost her sight, he watched her sink into despair and was
determined to help his wife gain the strength and confidence she needed to
become independent again. Mark's military background had trained him well
to deal with sensitive situations, and yet he knew this was the most
difficult battle he would ever face.
Finally, Susan felt ready to return to her job, but how would she get
there? She used to take the bus, but was now too frightened to get around
the city by herself. Mark volunteered to drive her to work each day, even
though they worked at opposite ends of the city. At first, this comforted
Susan and fulfilled Mark's need to protect his sightless wife who was so
insecure about performing the slightest task. Soon, however, Mark realized
that this arrangement wasn't working. It was hectic, and costly. Susan is
going to have to start taking the bus again, he admitted to himself.
But just the thought of mentioning it to her made him cringe. She was
still so fragile, so angry. How would she react? Just as Mark predicted,
Susan was horrified at the idea of taking the bus again. "I'm blind!" she
responded bitterly. "How am I supposed to know where I'm going? I feel
like you're abandoning me." Mark's heart broke to hear these words, but he
knew what had to be done. He promised Susan that each morning and evening
he would ride the bus with her, for as long as it took, until she got the
hang of it. And that is exactly what happened.
For two solid weeks, Mark, military uniform and all, accompanied Susan to
and from work each day. He taught her how to rely on her other senses,
specifically her hearing, to determine where she was and how to adapt to
her new environment. He helped her befriend the bus drivers who could
watch out for her, and save her a seat. He made her laugh, even on those
not-so-good days when she would trip exiting the bus, or drop her
briefcase.
Each morning they made the journey together, and Mark would take a cab
back to his office. Although this routine was even more costly and
exhausting than the previous one, Mark knew it was only a matter of time
before Susan would be able to ride the bus on her own. He believed in her,
in the Susan he used to know before she'd lost her sight, who wasn't
afraid of any challenge and who would never, ever quit. Finally, Susan
decided that she was ready to try the trip on her own.
Monday morning arrived, and before she left, she threw her arms around
Mark, her temporary bus riding companion, her husband, and her best
friend. Her eyes filled with tears of gratitude for his loyalty, his
patience, his love. She said good-bye, and for the first time, they went
their separate ways. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday. Each day on her
own went perfectly, and Susan had never felt better. She was doing it! She
was going to work all by herself!
On Friday morning, Susan took the bus to work as usual. As she was paying
for her fare to exit the bus, the driver said, "Boy, I sure envy you."
Susan wasn't sure if the driver was speaking to her or not. After all, who
on earth would ever envy a blind woman who had struggled just to find the
courage to live for the past year? Curious, she asked the driver, "Why do
you say that you envy me?" The driver responded, "It must feel so good to
be taken care of and protected like you are." Susan had no idea what the
driver was talking about, and asked again, "What do you mean?" The driver
answered, "You know, every morning for the past week, a fine looking
gentleman in a military uniform has been standing across the corner
watching you when you get off the bus. He makes sure you cross the street
safely and he watches you until you enter your office building. Then he
blows you a kiss, gives you a little salute and walks away. You are one
lucky lady."
Tears of happiness poured down Susan's cheeks. For although she couldn't
physically see him, she had always felt Mark's presence. She was lucky, so
lucky, for he had given her a gift more powerful than sight, a gift she
didn't need to see to believe - the gift of love that can bring light
where there had been darkness.
posted at 4:28 am
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