Highlights of My Challenging Life

By Joanne King

Joanne King lost her eyesight, but she never lost her sense of adventure. She and her husband, also blind, raised a family and followed their dreams of boating in Florida. In this book, she tells the story of how they did it and offers encouragement to others not to let perceived disabilities stand in their way.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Joanne King
• Release date: Feb 26, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393495536

Book preview

PART ONE

Introduction

BEING BLIND IS ONE thing but being blind and being married is challenging but successful.  But being blind and married to a blind person is even more challenging but it definitely can and has been done by me and Terry and some others.  Let me tell you how all this happened.

WHO SAYS YOU CAN’T DO IT?

Because a person, or in this case a couple, who are disabled can do anything they want to do just in a different way.  That is my motto that I have been reminding a lot of disabled people.  It is true.  Terry and I met at the Chicago Lighthouse for the Blind. And that is where our adventures really started.

I went there for classes in Medical Transcription and Terry was there because he had gotten out of the Army, where he had his injuries to his eyes because of an explosion.  He needed to find out what he could do with his life having his handicap.  He got a tip to go to the Lighthouse for answers.  They had a workshop and after he worked there for a few months, he heard about the vending stand program for blind vendors.  When he heard that was where the money was, he immediately joined that class and was a success.  He was manager of first, the cigar stand, then a snack bar and finally the first totally blind person to be in charge of a full cafeteria in Illinois. He was one of the forces who helped the blind vendors to be self-employed in Illinois. 

Terry was, and is an ambitious and energetic person who would not let anything get in his way of what he wanted to do.  I was a more conservative person but had that energy and adventurism to go along with his. 

I truly think our success is due to the fact that both of us were visually impaired and we  complemented each other in our disabilities.  I learned a lot from Terry.

He grew up more or less on his own; that is where he gained independence.  On the other hand, I grew up in a very loving home with much protected parents.  So, when I met Terry, he taught me how to rely on myself and of course him.  Since Terry was a very strong individual we ventured in many things with confidence.  My patience and his determination are a perfect formula for a long-lasting friendship and marriage. 

We married in 1963 and had 4 children, 2 girls and 2 boys.  Now you ask yourself, how can a blind couple keep children safe from accidents, wandering off, and feed them to be healthy and happy children? For one thing, I put bells on their shoe laces so I knew where they were.  Of course, when they got older, I took the bells off but with the help of God and paying attention to them as to where they were and of course a fenced-in yard got us through a very safe and happy home.  Of course, having our second child, Tom, meant that Karen had a playmate and the sound of children’s voices and laughter made it easy. 

Our first hardship was, unfortunately, our second boy Donald had the umbilical cord wrapped around his neck and lost oxygen and lived only 3 days.  That was the first trauma that we had to experience.  But we left the situation in the hands of God.  That alone was scary for me, but we did it and now we have 3 ambitious kids and because of our disability of being blind, they learned to do things faster than a kid from a family without a disability.  For instance, they were the only ones in the class in middle school that knew how to fill out a check.  Now, today we have 3 grandchildren 2 boys and 1 girl and 5 great grandchildren (all boys).

After we married, we lived in the Chicago area for ten years, and then ventured to Florida. 

Just remember if we can do it, you can too.

Chapter I

I GREW UP IN THE NORTH side of Chicago. Those were the days when I was quite a tomboy. I did everything from playing softball with the neighborhood kids to exploring miles and miles of blocks with my sister riding our bikes. Life sure was different then. I remember one day when my sister and I were playing catch with a ball in our enclosed porch. With the windows open, the ball went out the window into the back yard. My sister ran down the stairs to get the ball, but I wanted to get there faster, so I jumped out of the window and got there just before her. That was funny.

Then, when I was in 3rd grade the teacher noticed that I wasn’t doing my work right.  That’s when my parents were told of this, and it was mentioned to them to get my eyes checked by a doctor.  The doctor told them that I had an eye disease and that I was one of 7 in the whole world that had such a condition and that there was no name for it and that there was no cure.

I had periods of some sight to no sight.

When I was 10, we moved to a northwest suburb called Des Plaines. One thing that I am very grateful for is that my parents kept me in regular classes during elementary