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

Tue Dec 30 02:35:09 UTC 2014

Hello all,

I am finally back among theliving   again.  For the last few weeks I have
been coping with Shingles.  I have been sayingthat I wouldn't wish them on
my worse enemy.
I have had the honor and the joy of knowing Ozzie.  He is a delight.  I am
sure he will be a giver for the remainder of his life.  His guide dog was a
real sweet black lab. Gala celebrated   with Felix.  
I don't know what I would do without Filix.  He is a balancw 
 AND A GUIDE DOG.  He has a part on his harness which help me to go up and
down stairs and curbs.  He also watches for cracks or holes in the sidewalk
or street which may trip me.  I am probably being redundant  again about
Felix.   
You may know that Fred is not your number one dog lover.  We have a divided
divided house, maze and blue and green and white, and dog and cane.  Let
there be peace on earth, LOL.
May you all have a fruitful and contributory2015.

Mary0v

-----Original Message-----
From: nfbmi-talk [mailto:nfbmi-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Pauline
Smith via nfbmi-talk
Sent: Monday, December 29, 2014 5:42 PM
To: David Robinson; NFB of Michigan Internet Mailing List
Subject: Re: [nfbmi-talk] Fw: ozzie in the news again

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.

Pauline Smith sent you this voice-to-text generated email using Voice on the
Go.
To listen, click on the voice message link or open the attachment.
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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_checku
> p_osman_koroma_gr.html _______________________________________________
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