Hi. My name is Jerry Gallishaw. I am a 36-year-old male, and I suffer from an eye disease called Retinitis Pigmentosa, which is the swelling of the retina. Most people refer to it as R.P.. It has caused me to have tunnel vision and night blindness. I can no longer see to read regular size print. Can you relate to this?
I’ve always had a very active social life. In high school I was a multi-sport star. I loved playing basketball, football and running track. I still enjoy playing these sports although I may not be as good. I also enjoy watching them on television.
I was employed by International Paper Company in my home state of
Georgia, where I have spent most of my life. I worked at this job for 16 years
until I could no longer see to perform my job duties. My job required measuring
feet and inches. But I could no longer see to read a tape measure. I thought I
needed corrective lenses, but when I went for a routine eye exam, I was given
the news about this eye disease and told I needed to see a specialist. I was
examined by the specialist two days later. He performed a series of tests and
discovered a macular hole that needed to be surgically repaired. I went into
emergency surgery the next day. The procedure took about three hours. I was in
so much pain, and there was a great risk of getting an infection, so I had to
take four different eye medications.
Then four days later I lost my mother to cancer. I was mad as hell at myself and all of the above. I felt I had made a mistake about having the surgery when I did. So you can imagine what kind of pain I was going through. I was not able to sleep. I was stressed out and had no appetite. In a matter of a week I lost two things I thought I couldn’t live without. Now you can imagine what the funeral must have been like for me. If you can’t, then I’ll tell you. It was tough, but I made it through with God’s grace and mercy.
If that wasn’t bad enough, three weeks later my oldest brother died of cancer. Also during this time, I lost communication with my sisters for about a year. After further eye surgery, the physician told me not to fly, but I wasn’t clear on exactly how long my flying was to be restricted. For Mothers Day I wanted to go home and visit my mother’s grave. While on the plane, I experienced pain like I had never felt before. I felt like my head was going to explode. I became very hot and flushed and my blood pressure shot up so high that I felt like I had passed out. I immediately called the doctor after landing. He was very upset and explained to me that I might lose my eye. He wasn’t sure how much damage I had done by flying prematurely. He told me had put a gas bubble in my eye to support my eye during the healing process. The gas bubble had expanded with the increase in altitude, which was the reason I had such extreme pain. But I made it through by God’s grace and mercy.
Then it was time for me to stop feeling sorry for myself because no one else was. They were just glad it didn’t happen to them. I was dealing with pain that ran deep within my soul. But I knew I had to keep pressing on and put my trust in Christ. One thing after another happened to me—some things good, some bad. Though I lost my mother, I gained a wife, which was a new beginning of my life. I lost my driver’s license, which was hard for me to give up. But now I have a driver.
One day I was told about JKRC, the school for the blind and visually impaired, by Joette Dodds, who is an employee at the New Jersey Commission For The Blind. I was a little apprehensive about being a resident in the JKRC program, but after a week I was comfortable with the environment, the students, the teachers and the complex. Once classes started I was like a little kid with a big smile on my face. I felt so at ease. Sue, an instructor, made learning Braille fun for me. I’m not saying it was simple or easy, but I was hungry and eager to learn as much as I could--and I did! The class I enjoyed the most has to be computer technology taught by Judy and Bob. I was so excited about using a computer with talking devices like JAWS and Zoomtext. These particular programs are for people with little to no vision. I was so amazed at all the different talking devices. Please understand I never typed, or touched a computer keyboard. I thought after having two of my fingers surgically repaired, I wouldn’t be able to use them. But I can even use them effectively! I have had a great line of communication to, and respect for, my instructors. Some of them have a great sense of humor, which makes learning fun, and that helps. All of the staff at JKRC are pleasant, especially the second shift crew. They’re the ones we spend most of our time with. We have night outings, play music, have parties or just socialize.
To sum up my story, JKRC was a wonderful school to attend. It’s been a great way for me to regain my independence and special thanks to Valeda Johnson, who helped me with my job seeking skills. My main goal for coming to JKRC was to receive the skills I needed to return to the work field.
I’m glad I had the chance to share a little of my story with you. So to all who may be dealing with some type of blindness, please let my story be encouraging to you. I know that there are many eye conditions that can affect people in different ways, but you’re not alone. There are hundreds of thousands who are going through the same situation as you. There are about fifty or sixty thousand in New Jersey alone. So come on, stop saying why has this happened to me? God must hate me, or I can’t do it. You see, I believe that anything in life that’s a challenge will take determination to conquer. Just don’t put too much pressure on yourself, which can cause unnecessary stress. Stop worrying about the things you can not change and focus on the things you can. JKRC is a great place to help you make that change. The program is changing for the better each and every day under the management of Don Potenski.
