I was born in much the same way as everyone else. It wasn't until I was eleven days old that my mother noticed that there was something white in my eyes, she immediately called the pediatrician, who referred me to an Ophthalmologist in Springfield whom upon examining me, told my parents that cataracts had formed over my eyes and that I would need surgery to remove them. I underwent two surgeries to remove the cataracts in both my left and right eye.
During a later examination the Doctor noticed that a membrane had formed over my right eye. The doctor told my parents that if I didn't have surgery, the membrane would cause me to go blind in that eye so I went through a third surgery to remove the membrane. That was a total of three surgeries before I was nine months old.
I started kindergarten in Fordland when I was five. My teacher, Mrs. Koppelman and I did not get along, mostly which I am sure is my fault. I am sure she was a fine teacher. I, however kept getting in trouble. My biggest offence is when I hit a girl on the head with a broomstick after she accidentally spilled milk on my glasses during milk and play time. I was immediately taken to the principal's office Who, after talking with me called my mother to find out what punishment I should receive. She told him to spank me. That day I learned what the "board of education" actually was and determined that day that I didn't want a visit with it again, and that was just the first day of school.
After Kindergarten I was moved to Delaware grade school in Springfield that offered a special class for visually impaired and deaf students. I attended Delaware from the First to the Sixth grade. After finishing third grade it was determined that I should repeat that grade again because of difficulties that I was having in some of my subjects. During my grade school years I was slowly integrated into the regular classroom but still spent some time in the special education class working on the subjects that were more difficult for me.
During my Fifth grade year one of the students had the idea to create a movie that spoofed Star Wars. Working with the teacher and class he wrote the script and sets were designed and built and working with a professor from one of the local colleges who helped us shoot and edit the footage, we created the movie "Vegetable Wars".
In Seventh grade I came back to Fordland to attend school and like some people today I was picked on by the other students in school. One particular time I was being bullied by a fellow student and I warned him that if he kept picking on me he was going to suffer the consequences. He continue to pick on me and as it was winter and I had a coat on because the heater was broken I unsnapped the sleeve of my coat and used the snaps as a weapon and punched him in the mouth. I preceded to go to the teacher and tell him what I had done because I was sure I was in trouble. The teacher, who had been watching what was going on told me that I was not in trouble and to return to my seat. He then called the student out of class and they had a little talk.
My Eight grade year we moved to the High School because at that time the school district did not have a middle school like they do today. My Eight grade year is where I also ran into the student that had bullied me during my seventh grade year. He told me that he wanted to be my friend and protect me from the older kids, and though the rest of my eight grade year and then through high school he did just that.
During high school I was involved in band and helped form the first choir with fellow students. Some of the events we were involved in; the SMSU (now MSU) invitational Choir a men's invitational choir held in northern Missouri, a salute to Hollywood and excerpts of The Little Shop of Horrors, in that I played Steve Martin's character the dentist. I also preformed in various school concerts as well.
After graduating High School I attended Southwest Baptist University for about a year and a half. I found out at the end of my freshman year that my major would be dropped and faculty wold be dismissed. After spending a year trying to figure out what I wanted to do, I got a job in Springfield and got my own apartment, I did customer service for a major telecommunications company. After working for them for about a year I was let go. I decided to go back to school where I received an associate of science degree in Computer Information Systems. After graduation I got a job with the Fordland School District as an assistant IT person, I worked there for about three years and was let go because the grant I was working under ran out and the school didn't want to renew it.
For the next few years I hopped from job to job. It wasn't until I was talking to a friend who was a program director of a radio station that I found my next job, recording radio programs to cassette that came down from satellite and then making sure they were in the correct automation cassette deck and ready to be aired the next day. I continued this until the station got its first full computer automation system. My job changed somewhat, instead of recording to cassette the new automation system recorded to computer audio files, I would check each file after it was recorded and and make any edits or go out to the internet and download another copy of the file if it didn't record for some reason. At this time it was also part of my responsibility to take any cassettes and later CD's that the station received and put them of the automation system as well. The last few years of that job I was put in charge of engineering and producing a local radio show. That job lasted for seven years.
I have had various jobs in customer service since then.
Since going on Dialysis in December of 2017 I have applied and been accepted as the Network Patient Representative for the Heartland Kidney Network. If you are a kidney patient and think that you can't do this, I have written this for you, to prove that YES, YOU CAN DO THIS!! As the old adage goes; if life gives you lemons, make lemonade.
Some final Thoughts
I meant to add in my fifth grade story that I played Uncle Owen in the movie and at the screening the class did a dedication to me. (I did not know about it until the day of the screening.)
I hope you enjoyed reading this and if like me, you are going through dialysis I hope this gives you some encouragement.
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