[nfbmi-talk] Fw: ozzie in the news again

Mon Dec 29 22:41:13 UTC 2014

I'm glad this was sent. I always wondered what happened to the young man who is the subject of this. I'm glad Arie is continuing to recover and will get a new dog some time next year. Again, thanks for sending this update.

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> Original Message:
> ---------------------------------
> 
> From: David Robinson via nfbmi-talk <nfbmi-talk at nfbnet.org> 
> Sent: December 29, 2014 4:52:06 PM
> To: NFB of Michigan Internet Mailing List <nfbmi-talk at nfbnet.org>
> Subject: [nfbmi-talk] Fw: ozzie in the news again
> 
> 
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: joe harcz Comcast 
> To: David Robinson NFB MI 
> Cc: terry Eagle ; Mark Eagle 
> Sent: Monday, December 29, 2014 11:27 AM
> Subject: ozzie in the news again
> 
> 
> Health checkup: Osman Koroma grieves for guide dog, but says accident made him stronger | MLive.com
> 
> The accident made me grow up and be a strong man and have a strong faith in God." - Osman Koroma
> 
>  
> 
> GRAND RAPIDS, MI ?
> 
> Osman Koroma
> 
> is getting ready for a new guide dog.
> 
>  
> 
> He still grieves for
> 
> Gala,
> 
> his ?lovely, crazy? guide dog who died when the pair was struck by a car.
> 
>  
> 
> ?There is no dog that can ever replace her,? he said.
> 
>  
> 
> But Koroma, a 24-year-old blind man, has applied for a new dog and believes he will get one by the end of 2015.
> 
>  
> 
> He has completed rehab for the injuries he suffered in the accident and continues to speak with
> 
> compassion about the driver
> 
> of the car that hit him. The tough experiences he endured have made him a stronger man of faith, he said.
> 
>  
> 
> ?Overall, it was a great 2014, and next year is going to be greater,? he said.
> 
>  
> 
> Related:
> 
> 'My dog saved my life'
> 
> Blind man hit by car has sympathy for the driver
> 
> The accident
> 
> occurred the evening of March 19, as Koroma walked from a Rapid bus stop on South Division Avenue to a gas station, where he planned to call his dad for
> 
> a ride. He walked with Gala (pronounced Gall-ah), the 3-year-old black Labrador that had been his guide dog since February 2013.
> 
> Osman Koroma, 24, who is blind, is in critical condition at Spectrum Health Butterworth after he was struck by a car March 19. His guide dog Gala was killed
> 
> in the accident.Here he and Gala are walking on an outing with a camp by Unlimited Opportunities for the Blind. He is assistant camp director for the organization.
> 
> Osman Koroma and his guide dog, Gala, walk during an outing with a camp by Unlimited Opportunities for the Blind. Courtesy photo
> 
>  
> 
> Ever since he received Gala from Guiding Eyes for the Blind in Yorktown Heights, N.Y., the two were a perfectly matched pair. Gala was friendly, outgoing
> 
> and playful ? just like her owner.
> 
>  
> 
> ?She did crazy stuff,? Koroma said. ?I just loved her. Me and my friends would talk about her pretty much all the time.?
> 
>  
> 
> When a car hit them, Gala took the brunt of the hit. Koroma suffered a brain injury and a broken right leg and spent a week in the intensive care unit at
> 
> Spectrum Health. But he believes Gala saved his life.
> 
>  
> 
> The accident was investigated by Wyoming police and the case was reviewed by the Kent County Prosecutor's office. No charge or citation was issued against
> 
> the driver, said Wyoming Police Capt. Kim Koster.
> 
>  
> 
> Koroma did therapy at Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital. And in June, he underwent surgery to replace the part of his skull removed to relieve pressure
> 
> on his brain.
> 
>  
> 
> He has completed rehab and can walk well, though he still has tightness and some pain in his right leg. His leg ?won?t ever be the same again,? he said.
> 
> ?But overall, I?m doing pretty good. It could have been worse.?
> 
>  
> 
> As he was recovering in the hospital just a few weeks after the accident, Koroma spoke about his concern for the driver of the car that hit him. He still
> 
> feels compassion for the man and says he understands he did not mean to hit him.
> 
>  
> 
> ?I?m not going to fault him about it,? Koroma said. ?It?s not going to bring back my lovely, crazy dog. Nothing anyone can do can bring her back. He should
> 
> just move on to try to make his life better, like I?m doing.?
> 
>  
> 
> Koroma, a native of Liberia, was 14 when he and his family came to West Michigan as refugees. He lost his sight as a teenager because of cataracts he had
> 
> since he was a child.
> 
>  
> 
> After the accident, he was touched and surprised to hear his experiences inspired others. People have told him his positive attitude and strength have helped
> 
> them overcome challenges.
> 
>  
> 
> Last summer, he was able to go back to work as a counselor for Opportunities Unlimited for the Blind.
> 
>  
> 
> In January, he plans to attend Lansing Community College and then transfer to Michigan State University. He wants to study education and become a teacher
> 
> consultant for the visually impaired.
> 
>  
> 
> And a new guide dog will be part of his life, he said, because ?I love working with a dog.?
> 
>  
> 
> ?I had a bad accident, but I came out of it,? he added. ?The accident made me grow up and be a strong man and have a strong faith in God.
> 
>  
> 
> ?In a way, the accident kind of taught me a lesson ? just to always have faith in God. Because no matter what, he is always going to be there in the end.?
> 
>  
> 
> Sue Thoms covers health care for MLive/The Grand Rapids Press. Email her at
> 
> sthoms1 at mlive.com
> 
> or follow her on
> 
> Twitter,
> 
> Facebook
> 
> or
> 
> Google
> 
> +.
> 
> Source:
> 
> http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2014/12/health_checkup_osman_koroma_gr.html
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