<html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:m="http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2004/12/omml" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"><head><META HTTP-EQUIV="Content-Type" CONTENT="text/html; charset=us-ascii"><meta name=Generator content="Microsoft Word 14 (filtered medium)"><title>News about me and news about you</title><style><!--
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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Dear Deborah: Thank you so much for the (official) update. Sincerely, Dale Barta <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div><div style='border:none;border-top:solid #B5C4DF 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in'><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>From:</span></b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'> Cinci-nfb [mailto:cinci-nfb-bounces@nfbnet.org] <b>On Behalf Of </b>Deborah Kendrick via Cinci-nfb<br><b>Sent:</b> Saturday, September 02, 2017 2:03 PM<br><b>To:</b> cinci-nfb@nfbnet.org<br><b>Cc:</b> Deborah Kendrick<br><b>Subject:</b> [Cinci-nfb] News about me and news about you<o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'>Hello Cincinnati NFB,</span><o:p></o:p></p><p><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'>First, I regret not being with you at the bake sale today, which I feel confident is succeeding brilliantly.</span><o:p></o:p></p><p><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'>Secondly, I have several updates and bits of information to share, so am writing you all</span> <span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'>this</span> <span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'>letter!</span><o:p></o:p></p><p><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'>Nine months ago today, my world turned upside down. I was standing in my bathroom when a sudden blow to my left thigh threw me instantly to the floor. Not sure if I’d had an electric shock or a blow from a ten-pound boulder, I dragged myself to the next room</span> <span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'>to call 911.</span><o:p></o:p></p><p><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'>After three weeks in hospital, I flew to Florida. My intention was to spend Christmas with family, help my daughter with her newborn twins, and come back to Ohio in January.</span><o:p></o:p></p><p><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'>As it turned out,</span> <span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'>I was in no shape to help her, her babies, or even myself.</span><o:p></o:p></p><p><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'>Soon after Christmas, I developed a</span> <span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'>terrible case of bronchitis and pneumonia. The pain in my leg was horrific, but I thought maybe it was caused by fever or maybe it was just what was to be expected after the surgery I had had.</span><o:p></o:p></p><p><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'>It turned out that my</span> <span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'>emergency surgery</span> <span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'>had</span> <span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'>failed and I was in worse peril than ever.</span> <span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'>What followed was:</span> <span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'>More surgery. More hospitals. Tons of therapy and seven months in a wheelchair. </span><o:p></o:p></p><p><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'>I have learned much in these nine months. Mostly, lessons have focused on gratitude</span> <span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'>--</span> <span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'>gratitude for life itself and for simple kindnesses from others.</span><o:p></o:p></p><p><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'>What</span> <span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'>have I been doing all this time in the sunshine state?</span><o:p></o:p></p><p><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'>Well, besides having surgeries, rehabilitation, learning to use a wheelchair, then a walker, then a support cane, and to teach muscles that weren’t allowed to move for seven months how to fire up again,</span> <span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'>it has seemed that I have been very busy.</span><o:p></o:p></p><p><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'>I have continued to work. My work for NLS Tech Support was never interrupted, not even while in hospital. With a laptop and a phone, much work can be done from anywhere – even a hospital bed!</span><o:p></o:p></p><p><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'>The same is true of writing, although I did very little of that from December through April, and picked up again with improved energy in May. </span><o:p></o:p></p><p><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'>In July, because of the friendship and</span> <span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'>pep talk from a longtime Chicago</span> <span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'>Federationist,</span> <span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'>I wound up going, at the last minute, to the NFB convention in Orlando. I was only there for two days, but while there, I spent treasured moments with Barbara and Bob Pierce, Eric and Lucas Duffy, and others. An hour in the xhibit hall was like coming home!</span><o:p></o:p></p><p><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'>My understanding is that an inaccurate report circulated after this that my medical situation was declining. This could not be further from reality. I am, essentially, a super</span> <span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'>healthy person with a very compromised leg and hip. I will continue to be in physical therapy for some time and still walk very slowly and carefully, but the</span> <span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'>convention was my last week of using the wheelchair. </span><o:p></o:p></p><p><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'>Throughout my time here, many Cincinnati chapter members have</span> <span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'>been in my thoughts..</span><o:p></o:p></p><p><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'>Lisa Hall carried forward, conducting most meetings from January through August.</span><o:p></o:p></p><p><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'>Judy Rudig called me</span> <span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'>on a frequent and regular basis, calls I came to treasure more than I can say. </span><o:p></o:p></p><p><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'>Christopher Sabine kept in touch on a regular basis, not only with chapter business and getting approval of minutes, but also with personal concerns such as helping me look for a new apartment and offering to reach out to</span> <span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'>NFB members in Florida. </span><o:p></o:p></p><p><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'>Paul Dressell continues to be my favorite computer student!</span><o:p></o:p></p><p><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'>I am writing this today because I am finally returning to Cincinnati</span> <span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'>in the very near future. </span><o:p></o:p></p><p><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'>I have found an apartment in Hyde Park and will move in in September.</span><o:p></o:p></p><p><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'>I am actually coming this week, in order to attend a baby shower for</span> <span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'>my daughter, Caitlyn,</span> <span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'>who</span> <span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'>is currently in the area, working the Renaissance Fair north of Cincinnati. My apartment will not be ready for me to move in until September 15.</span><o:p></o:p></p><p><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'>I will need tons of help getting sorted out and settled!</span><o:p></o:p></p><p><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'>So, that is</span> <span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'>a summary of what is going on with me. Now, here are some comments regarding upcoming chapter events.</span><o:p></o:p></p><p><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'>First, I am thrilled to learn that Sheri and Walter are moving forward with our White Cane Walk. </span> <span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'>As you know, the project has been “my baby” so to speak for a decade now, and I am truly happy that it is going to happen. My hope is that, after ten years, it will be easy to reproduce. I will</span> <span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'>not</span> <span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'>be able to attend, but will be pouring all positive thought into visions of sunshine and scores of walkers!</span><o:p></o:p></p><p><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'>Next, I will, however, be in attendance</span> <span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'>and presiding at our next chapter meeting September 29, at the Washington Platform.</span> <o:p></o:p></p><p><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'>Finally, I have seen a few comments and received some information about a t-shirt that is under consideration to represent eh chapter. I know I am pointing out the</span> <span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'>obvious here, but feel it my duty to say that such a project absolutely cannot occur without the image being sanctioned by NFB leadership. Our national staff have put loads of time and treasure into branding. We have</span> <span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'>words and images designed to represent us across the nation and we cannot develop our own without approval.</span><o:p></o:p></p><p><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'>We can talk about all of the above at the September meeting. Let me remind you that, as a very few of you</span> <span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'>have recognized, I have been only a phone call or text message away whether in a hospital, rehabilitation facility, or my Florida home. I know you all have busy lives,</span> <o:p></o:p></p></div></body></html>