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<DIV>Greetings to all!</DIV>
<DIV>I was planning to call Rebecca this afternoon to discuss the next steps
pertaining to her medical issues however, I received the below email from
Debbie
Azzarone, editor of the Blind Vine. She forwarded to those on the
Blind
Vine email list from Vision Loss Alliance in Denville.</DIV>
<DIV>I called Debbie and asked her if I could forward to the distribution
list
of the NFBNJ.</DIV>
<DIV>Debbie’s remarks follow my signature.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Rebecca attends classes at VLA to teach, learn, and to enhance her
ability
to raise expectations in herself and with others.</DIV>
<DIV>For those that don’t know Rebecca as we add new members to the NFBNJ
distribution list, I thought learning about Rebecca before reading the email
from Debbie would be helpful.</DIV>
<DIV>Rebecca is a member of the state affiliate board of the NFBNJ.</DIV>
<DIV>she is President of the Northern Chapter and president of the Diabetes
Division of the NFBNJ.</DIV>
<DIV>She chairs the Help America to Vote Act, HAVA and has reached out to
Middlesex County to provide an accessible voting machine to demonstrate at
the
state convention this fall.</DIV>
<DIV>Rebecca provides countless numbers of presentations throughout Essex
County
to senior centers to provided information for all to move out from their
comfort
zone.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>She is an active member in her church as she expresses her love for God
with her warm smile and go get it attitude.</DIV>
<DIV>Rebecca is a lover of Braille, she also loves action and providing her
warm
smile to all!</DIV>
<DIV>Rebecca, a speedy recovery and Solomon, stay strong!</DIV>
<DIV>Rebecca is blessed with a family that cares and friends that are there
for
her and Solomon.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>If you wish to mail a card to her home,the address follows.</DIV>
<DIV>Rebecca Bryant </DIV>
<DIV>136 Tiffany Blvd. apt.101</DIV>
<DIV>Newark, NJ 07014</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Rebecca a speedy recovery and get well soon!</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>We care. We share. We grow. We make a difference<BR>Joe Ruffalo,
President
<BR>National Federation of the Blind of New Jersey <BR>973 743
0075<BR>nfbnj1@verizon.net<BR><A
href="http://www.nfbnj.org">www.nfbnj.org</A></DIV>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri'; COLOR: #000000">Raising
Expectations To Live The Life You Want!</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri'; COLOR: #000000">Your
old
car keys can be keys to literacy for the blind.<BR>Donate your unwanted
vehicle
to us by clicking <BR>www.carshelpingtheblind.org <BR>or call 855 659
9314<BR></DIV>
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<DIV style="font-color: black"><B>From:</B> <A title=dea23@optonline.net
href="mailto:dea23@optonline.net">Debbie Azzarone</A> </DIV>
<DIV><B>Sent:</B> Friday, May 25, 2018 11:41 AM</DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3 face=Calibri></FONT> </DIV></DIV></DIV>
<DIV>Hello Viners,</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>I just got off the phone with Rebecca who's back in the hospital. This
may</DIV>
<DIV>be old news for some of you. I wasn't in class on Thursday due to a
bad</DIV>
<DIV>chest cold, so I don't know if an announcement was made.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>As Rebecca tells it, after her original quadruple bypass, she was
making</DIV>
<DIV>progress and began to feel better. Then a while ago, she began to get
very</DIV>
<DIV>winded during normal activities. This increased to the point of her
only</DIV>
<DIV>being able to walk 20 feet before she had to sit for a while and catch
her</DIV>
<DIV>breath. It seemed any progress she made after her surgery was
reversing.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>We laughed as Rebecca told me a story about a trip to the mall she made
with</DIV>
<DIV>her sister and her mom. No sooner did Rebecca make it to the door of
the</DIV>
<DIV>mall from a short walk from a handicapped parking space, Rebecca
realized</DIV>
<DIV>she couldn't take one more step, never mind being able to walk around
the</DIV>
<DIV>mall. Her mother, armed with her walker that had a built in chair,
quickly</DIV>
<DIV>sat Rebecca down on that seat and began to wheel her around the
mall.</DIV>
<DIV>Rebecca remarked to me, "Just think about this 90 year old woman
wheeling</DIV>
<DIV>her daughter around in the walker that was meant for her, and what that
must</DIV>
<DIV>have looked like to passersby."</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>So fast forward to the beginning of this week.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Rebecca had been going to an infusion center for regular IVs of iron.
Her</DIV>
<DIV>hemoglobin had been getting dangerously low, which could have
been</DIV>
<DIV>contributing to her weakness. On her way to the center on this past
Monday,</DIV>
<DIV>she began to get bad chest pains. The center called an ambulance which
took</DIV>
<DIV>her to Saint Barnabas Hospital in Livingston, where she still remains
today.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>The doctors are thinking that one of the veins involved in her
bypass</DIV>
<DIV>surgery did not open fully. In order to confirm that, she needed to get
an</DIV>
<DIV>angiogram. Her Kidney doctor put the kibosh on that, since her
kidney</DIV>
<DIV>numbers weren't good at all, and he feared the angiogram would possibly
send</DIV>
<DIV>her into renal failure. On top of that, the blood thinners she'd been
on
had</DIV>
<DIV>begun to give her severe nose bleeds, and to do the angiogram, they'd
have</DIV>
<DIV>to increase her Plavix and she could bleed to death. They have packed
her</DIV>
<DIV>nose and the ENT will be coming in to cauterize it too.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>With the holiday weekend at hand, she fears she will just be hanging
out
in</DIV>
<DIV>her hospital bed until Tuesday when the doctors will all be back from
their</DIV>
<DIV>weekend off. She'd like to get this show on the road and get back
home.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Now you'd think that Rebecca and I would have been crying over her
situation</DIV>
<DIV>after discussing this news.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Not with Rebecca.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>This woman has the strength, grace, and faith not often seen in the
average</DIV>
<DIV>person. As she finished filling me in on the details of her condition
and</DIV>
<DIV>the reason for her hospitalization, she didn't skip a beat when she
got</DIV>
<DIV>right into asking about me, my grandkids, and all of you at the
VLANJ.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>I could tell that she was getting winded by talking on the phone, but
she</DIV>
<DIV>was laughing and sounding very upbeat. You know.that typical
Rebecca</DIV>
<DIV>attitude we all know and love.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>I asked her if it was ok with her if I sent out an update on her, and
made
a</DIV>
<DIV>request that you all keep her in your thoughts and prayers. She said
a</DIV>
<DIV>definite yes, and told me to make sure I send it out on the Blind Vine.
I</DIV>
<DIV>was happy to know she is a faithful reader.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>She hesitated for a moment before she told me to include her hospital's
room</DIV>
<DIV>phone number, but then told me to give it out. Her only hesitation
was</DIV>
<DIV>because of how winded she gets if she has to speak on the phone too
much,</DIV>
<DIV>but I got the feeling she was willing to risk it if it meant she could
talk</DIV>
<DIV>to her good friends at the VLANJ. She misses all of you, students
and</DIV>
<DIV>teachers alike, and wants me to make sure we all know that.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>So, per Rebecca's request, here's the phone number that goes directly
to
her</DIV>
<DIV>room:</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>1-973-322-8307</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>I didn't ask if I could send out this number, Rebecca herself brought
it
up.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Now this request is from me, not Rebecca.please don't make her talk
too</DIV>
<DIV>long. She has tons of friends and family to speak to, and I want her to
pace</DIV>
<DIV>herself.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>I'm not a doctor, but I play one on the Blind Vine.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Plus, I just love that Rebecca, and want her to get the rest she
needs.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Your Blind Vine Team. We love and miss you Rebecca!</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>============================================================================</DIV>
<DIV>========</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>"The opinions expressed herein are not necessarily those of my
employer,
not</DIV>
<DIV>necessarily mine, and probably not necessary."</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
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