HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuron Expositor, 2007-05-30, Page 6Page 6 May 30, 2007 • The Huron Expositor
News
Inspiring stories follow the trail during CNIB's
Walk for Independence on Sunday
Ben Forest
CREZEMMECEND
There are those who try to live by
faith and not by sight. And then
there is Goderich man Jim Granger.
Granger lost all vision in one eye
due to a car accident at age 16, and
twice lost much of the vision in his
other eye due to a condition called
keratoconus.
"I remember one time, when I
first went blind, I was walking to
the hospital, and it was in a snow
storm," he said at the Canadian
National Institute for the Blind
(CNIB)'s Walk Towards
Independence on May 27.
"I ended up in someone's back -
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yard, didn't know how I was going
to get out of there, so I prayed,
closed my eyes totally to get rid of
any sight I had and started walking
until I found the sidewalk."
Some may doubt the wisdom of
such a move, but Granger uses it to
illustrate his faith in the Almighty —
a faith that has grown
so much since the
onset of his vision
problems that he con-
siders those problems
a sort of blessing.
"As my eyesight low-
ered and got worse, my
spiritual insight
increased drastically,"
he said. "I've got a
much better handle on
discernment and deal-
ing with spiritual
things."
Granger's tale of
being inspired by
blindness was not
unique among the walk
participants, and many on hand
shared stories that may inspire oth-
ers.
One such story is that of seven-
year-old Jason Lamont of Seaforth,
who was born without sight and
weighed only one pound, eight
ounces.
He has been attending the Walk
Towards Independence since age
two, and raised roughly $230 this
year with the help of grandma Marg
Lamont.
"Jason deals very well with his
blindness," said mother Tracy. "He
does everything just like any nor-
mal kid but he can't see.
"He rides bikes, he rollerblades ...
he plays the drums, he's playing the
trumpet, harmonica, keyboard, gui-
tar. He's in the regular school sys-
tem ... so he does everything that
all the kids his age are doing."
Then there is Clinton's Gwen
Sterling, who lost her sight at
Jason's age and will turn 90 this
October.
A participant in the
Walk Toward
Independence for about
the last four years, she
was the event's top
fundraiser this time
around, bringing in
more than $3,000.
Though she once
dreamed of being a
missionary, Sterling's
life took her in other
directions.
She now sees herself
as a missionary to the
blind, helping others
find happiness and con-
sider the positives that
remain when sight leaves them.
"I try to tell them `Think about
what you can do even though you
are blind — with your hands, your
ears, your other senses,'" she said. "I
think just a little encouragement
helps."
The Walk Towards Independence
exceeded its fundraising goal of
$10,000 significantly this year, tal-
lying more than $12,000 with
money still coming in.
The funds will go to pay for ser-
vices to those with vision problems
in Huron and Perth counties.
Anyone still wishing to donate can
do so by contacting the CNIB at 1-
800-563-2642 or visit www.cnib.ca.
'As my eye-
sight lowered
and got worse,
my spiritual
insight
increased
drastically,' --
Jim Grange'
of Goderich
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