[sasi] coupleface own challenges by giving

[Rita Kersh]

Great article!  So inspirational.

Rita
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Becky Frankeberger" <b.butterfly at comcast.net>
To: "'sasi, (sight and sound impaired) discussion list'" <sasi at acb.org>
Cc: <guide-dogs-4-2 at yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Sunday, June 12, 2011 10:17 AM
Subject: [sasi] coupleface own challenges by giving


>
> http://www.tampabay.com/news/humaninterest/couple-face-their-own-challenges-
> by-giving-comfort-to-hospice-patients/1174810
>
> The St. Petersburg Times, Florida -Sunday, June 12, 2011.
>
> Couple face their own challenges by giving comfort to hospice patients.
>
> NEW PORT RICHEY - Their phone rang shortly before 9 p.m. Thursday.
>
> A patient was dying, and Art Nolden and Linda Knight didn't hesitate. They
> had received special training for such moments.
>
> They called a taxi, loaded up the dogs and headed to HPH Hospice's 
> Marliere
> Care Center.
>
> As "11th-hour volunteers,'' they sat through the night with the patient.
>
> "We talked about the sun, the rain, the dogs,'' Nolden offered the next 
> day,
> chipper despite the duty that kept them at the center until 4:15 a.m.
> "Sometimes
>
> the silence was very important.''
>
> Giving comfort at life's end gives special meaning to this New Port Richey
> couple who have ignored their own physical challenges to become beloved
> volunteers
>
> at the hospice where everyone knows them by their first names.
>
> Linda is hearing impaired and blind and relies on Shirley, a 5-year-old
> golden Labrador mix. Art is able to perceive light but objects once clear
> are now
>
> only blurs. JJ, a 4-year-old golden retriever, is his working companion. 
> The
> four of them show up at the Marliere Care Center four hours every 
> Wednesday,
>
> rarely missing a day. Linda has racked up 218 volunteer, Art 227.
>
> "It astonishes me and touches my heart. They have so many of their own
> challenges to contend with but they're as reliable as the sunshine," says
> Sheena
>
> Thompson, HPH Hospice volunteer coordinator, who first met them while 
> making
> a presentation to the local Lion's Club. Art and Linda are members.
>
> Following the presentation, they approached Thompson and asked what they
> could do as volunteers. Thompson appreciated their sincerity and during 
> two
> days
>
> of training witnessed their strengths. Linda is keenly aware of patient
> needs. She knows when to listen and when to talk and she knows when to 
> stay
> with
>
> a patient and when to leave.
>
> Art's humor adds a light touch and he makes sure patients are aware of
> Linda's disability, gently encouraging them to speak a bit louder and
> slower. JJ
>
> and Shirley lead them through hallways and into patients' rooms. There the
> golden canines with mellow eyes sprawl, still and silent.
>
> "Patients are interested in the dogs. They ask us about them, and talking 
> to
> patients about our situations takes them, for a time, out of their
> situation.
>
> It's rewarding and I find the patients inspiring," Linda said.
>
> Their own challenges make them especially sensitive to the needs of 
> others.
> Linda was blind from birth, almost three months premature. She had hearing
> aids
>
> before she was 5. Years later, in 2002, she received her first cochlear
> implant, the second in 2004.
>
> "Being able to hear opens many doors,'' she said. "It's a never ending
> journey. When you lose your hearing and your vision you become isolated to
> yourself."
>
> Linda, 54, attended Alabama State School for the Blind. In 1967, her 
> parents
> realized Florida schools were including students with all limitations in
> mainstream
>
> classes. The family moved to Pensacola and Linda graduated from Escambia
> High School in 1976. She attended Florida State University for one year,
> then
>
> transferred to Pensacola Junior College.
>
> She volunteered for a time as a telephone operator at the VA Outpatient
> Clinic in Pensacola, compensating for her lost vision by memorizing phone
> numbers.
>
> She married, raised a son and a daughter and has three grandchildren, a
> fourth expected soon. She divorced and reclaimed her maiden name.
>
> Art, 67, lost vision from optic nerve atrophy, a condition that began when
> he was a first-grader. Art married, had a son and daughter and served as
> District
>
> Court Clerk in Long Island for many years, promotions coming frequently. 
> His
> vision worsened and forced him to retire.
>
> Divorced and tired of the New York cold, Art headed south in 1988, joining
> his parents who lived in Port Richey. He learned about Lighthouse for the
> Blind
>
> and Visually Impaired and served on its board of directors from 1994-1996.
> His classification as "legally blind" qualified him for a guide dog.
>
> In June 2000 he attended a guide dog class in Palmetto. He met Linda, who
> was attending the class from Columbus, Ga.
>
> "With 16 people and 16 dogs, it was often hard for Linda to hear the
> instructor," said Art, so he stepped to her side, repeating instructions.
>
> It was the start of a team effort that blossomed into a loving 
> relationship.
> They've been together for 11 years, sharing life, household chores, and
> volunteering
>
> in the local community, particularly to HPH Hospice and the Lion's Club. 
> Art
> quickly gives Linda most of the credit.
>
> "She does all the cooking and she is great with intuition. She knows what 
> to
> say and when to say it," he said.
>
> Linda uses her Deaf/Blind Communicator, a small complex device with 
> Braille
> and standard keyboards. If a patient would like to hear a Bible verse, for
> example,
>
> Linda can type the specifics on the Braille keyboard and through oral
> communication she can hear the passage and say it aloud to the patient.
>
> "We love listening to and talking with patients and I think we have 
> reached
> a milestone - to be in public, to give to the community and to take part 
> in
>
> volunteer work here (HPH Hospice) or with the Lions," she said.
>
> Art agreed and quickly added they are only two of scores who volunteer at
> HPH Hospice in a variety of roles. Then they rose together, grasped
> harnesses
>
> and headed down the hallway to visit patients.
>
> [Last modified: Jun 11, 2011 12:02 PM]
>
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