Alicia

I want to tell you the story of one of the students at the school. Alicia is a pretty young lady whose life changed dramatically in November of 2006. She was riding in a vehicle that went off the road, rolled and ejected Alicia from the vehicle. She was sprawled on the highway, bleeding, in and out of consciousness while the ambulance was speeding to assist her and take her to the hospital.

Because of the accident and the massive internal bleeding which caused irreversible damage to her optic nerve, Alicia will never see again. Only blackness, no light or even shading will she ever experience in her lifetime. It's like having to wear our sleep shades 24/7. Even with the shades on I can see a little light and darkness.

Alicia sometimes seems a bit down, melancholic and sometimes she is happy, laughing and really funny. Alicia is quick witted and makes all around her laugh. I don't think she wants pity or sympathy, she only wants people to understand what she is going through. She is so observant that she knows when I steal french fries off her plate.

Alicia wasn't born blind, she never even wore glasses, so blindness is all very new to her. She knows what she needs to do to become more independent and it bothers her that she isn't as independent as she would like to be.

Recently she has been doing much better in traveling class, even went to a doctor's office solo. Some might not think that is too big a deal, but it was for Alicia and the other students at the school who knew about it.

One regret I have is that I was not attending the center when she had her 7 course dinner. Rosemary turkey, mashed potatoes and homemade gravy, chocolate lust cake and a few other dishes to make it 7 courses.

If I misrepresent Alicia or give any information which is incorrect I'm sure she will let me know, loud and clear.
More later.