Barry Weatherall struggled with the feeling that a workplace chemical explosion robbed him of more than his sight 13 years ago.
Blinded permanently, the Red Deer resident believed he also lost his independence.
“You’re dealing with not just being blind,” the 49-year-old said recently. “(You’re) trying to figure out how you’re going to live life as a blind person and how it also affects your partner.”
The plumbing and heating engineer wore full protective gear on April 13, 1998, while he added a neutralizing element to the sulfuric acid used to clean copper pipes.
Told it would take just a minute or two for the chemicals to neutralize, Weatherall left for about 10 minutes to write a work procedure report.
The chemicals exploded in his face when he returned, wearing only a paper dust mask.
Weatherall was instantly blinded in his right eye. Chemicals were in his left eye and he lost the rest of his vision about 30 minutes after the accident.
His final clear image was the look of shock on his now ex-wife’s face when she came into the Red Deer Regional Hospital Centre emergency room.
Third-degree burns also covered Weatherall’s face and neck.
He spent a week in the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Edmonton and another six weeks in the burn unit at the University of Alberta Hospital.
The healing process was long and tedious as Weatherall had to deal with emotions and depressing “mind games” every time he underwent surgery for his burns. He had 21 surgeries over eight years and wore a pressure mask on his face up until four years ago.
While he was in the burn unit, Weatherall was visited by a representative with the Canadian National Institute for the Blind — one of the local agencies the United Way of Central Alberta supports through its annual campaign.
The man talked about CNIB services that would help Weatherall regain some of his independence.
“I can always remember being quite amazed about how this person who had no vision could get to the U of A hospital,” he said. “In the back of my mind, even through the worst of it, I always knew I could get there.”
Weatherall turned to the CNIB to learn how to use a white cane, and how to rely on smells and hearing to develop a good sense of direction.
Mobility is a requirement for individuals who want a seeing eye dog and Weatherall was able to get his first dog about two years after the accident.
He used CNIB services to learn both long-hand and short-hand braille, and the organization’s staff helped Weatherall use the dots to label everything from his CDs to the dials on his stove, washer and dryer, and his computer keyboard.
He also learned how to cook and clean his house with the organization’s help.
“Everything I learned through them gave me the confidence to realize that I could do certain things and I didn’t need people to help me,” Weatherall said.
“Everything I achieved through them, like walking and learning the white cane, that was a confidence boost. Learning that I could cook, learn Braille, use the washer and dryer to do my own laundry, that type of stuff. Just those little confidence boosters build up and build up and build up. . . . It was the confidence to realize I can do anything I want to do.”
Today the cheerful man enjoys rock climbing and white water river rafting. He swims regularly, runs triathlons and still dabbles in plumbing.
He takes Owen, his three-year-old shepherd guide dog, for long walks every day.
Weatherall was able to find his way around New York City with only the help of his dog.
He’s travelling home to England this month to celebrate his dad’s 80th birthday.
And he wants to try ice climbing and dog sledding this winter.
“Building confidence is key,” said Janice Gust, co-ordinator of client support services at the CNIB in Red Deer.
“People feel they have lost their independence, but the CNIB is there to show them perhaps a different way to do things so they can continue to be independent.”
She said money raised during the United Way campaign is essential as the CNIB only receives 30 per cent of its funding from the federal government.
“United Way is certainly critical in terms of helping to provide that service locally.”
The campaign raises funds every year from September to December to ensure a variety of programs are available locally, said campaign co-chair Lars Rogers.
“One of our key goals is, where at all possible, we try to make sure that our funding helps provide local services, versus shipping people off to other centres,” he said.
The campaign goal this year is to raise $1,960,000 for 32 community agencies that help one in three Central Albertans.
Roughly $196,000 has been committed since the campaign was launched on Sept. 15.
“You might not see what your money does, but it really does help people deal with life better and gives them methods of coping,” Weatherall said.
To donate to the United Way of Central Alberta, visit www.caunitedway.ca.
ptrotter@www.reddeeradvocate.com
— copyright Red Deer Advocate