June

At the apartment complex that I manage there is an elderly tenant named June. She moved in to her apartment August 1st 1969 and has lived there ever since. At 86 she is a strong independent woman who takes care of herself. Every day she walks through our neighborhood to buy her own groceries. It is a miracle that June can walk at all.

As a child she contracted Polio and the disease twisted her legs and spine. When she was diagnosed her doctor came in the room and said, "June you have Polio. You are never going to walk again. Don't worry. We will put you in a wheel chair and you will still be able to get around." The doctor then briskly left the room.

June was devastated. As a child the thought of being confined to a wheelchair was almost more than she could bear. Right after the doctor left the room one of the nurses came over to June and said, "June you listen to me. You are gonna walk. Tell me that you are gonna walk."

June: "I'm gonna walk."

Nurse: "louder"

June: "I'm gonna walk!"

Nurse: "June say it again. Like you believe it"

June: "I"M GONNA WALK!"

Nurse: "You will walk June. It will be hard at first. You're going to be like a baby, but you will walk."

Learning to walk again was hard. June first had to master standing without swaying. Then once she could stand on her own she had to learn to shuffle her feet. Slowly she did learn to walk again. As June says, "I may not be graceful but I can walk."

June has told me this story dozens of times. At first I thought to myself this woman is senile, she keeps telling me the same story as if I have never heard it before. To be fair there may be an element of senility but I think something deeper is going on. June's story has given meaning and purpose to her life. She has overcome a lot of adversity. She tells me that her goal now is to live to 100. Something tells me that she probably will. Especially as long as she remembers that story.

When I first took over at the Swiss I intentionally avoided June. Her aged crooked body repulsed me. Her cluttered apartment disgusted me. But as I have gotten to know June she has become one of my heroes. I thank God for her story.