By Wayne Laepple
SUNBURY -- Her strong faith sustains her through the difficult periods in life, said a city woman who has been blind since birth.
"Sue," who asked that her real name not be published, lives independently in a Sunbury apartment building, getting help with her grocery shopping from the Blind Association.
She's proud that she can shop at Wal-Mart on her own, with only a little assistance from store staff.
"I know my way around the store, and I can do pretty well on my own," she said.
She graduated from a state school for the blind and since then, she has continued her education, taking correspondence courses from the Hadley School for Blind in Illinois.
"Some of the classes are in Braille, and others are on cassette tapes," she said. "I'm always trying to learn, to keep my mind busy. It keeps me out of trouble."
She spends a lot of her time "reading," listening to books delivered to her through the Library of Congress program for blind people.
"I'm reading Saving Graces,' about Elizabeth Edwards, right now," she said.
She attends the Selinsgrove Church of the Nazarene and participates in activities there, she said.
"I don't sit around feeling sorry for myself," she said.
She received assistance from the Needy Family Fund once before, she said, and she's anticipating the food basket she'll get from the program.
"I'll take a few items and give them to the food bank at my church," she said. "There are people out there who need it more than I do."
Sue's family lives in the area, but she is proud that she is able to live independently.
The Needy Family Fund, sponsored by The Daily Item, Sunbury Broadcasting Corp. and Susquehanna Bank, is administered by Salvation Army citadels in Milton and Sunbury. Donations provide food, clothing and gifts to the less fortunate in the Valley.
Today's balance is $13,602.
n E-mail comments to wlaepple@dailyitem.com
