Keith Peterson: Be All You Can Be Part 1 of 4

In May of 1961, at just two years of age, Cedarville resident Keith Peterson was stricken with spinal meningitis, a potentially fatal bacterial infection that invades the fluid and membranes around the brain and spinal cord. Once infection starts, it spreads rapidly throughout the body and if not treated immediately the results can be devastating.

The National Meningitis Association reports that there are nearly 3,000 cases of spinal meningitis, now more commonly referred to as bacterial meningitis, every year in the United States. Statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show that 10 to 12 percent of all cases of the disease result in fatality.

While infants and older people are the most susceptible this relentless and contagious infection can attack even the healthiest of individuals at any age. Left untreated, the disease can cause brain damage in a matter of hours and can be fatal within a day. For those who do survive its rampage, the after-effects can last a lifetime.

Angela Curfman, Keith's sister, was only 4 years old when her brother became ill. "Keith became very ill with a high fever and was taken to the doctor," Curfman recalled. "At the time we were living at our grandparents outside of Cedarville and he was sent to Greene Memorial Hospital."

Since spinal meningitis affects both the brain and the spinal cord, victims of the infection often suffer life-long physical and neurological problems. The CDC reports that about 20 percent of meningitis survivors suffer long-term effects including blindness, brain damage and various physical disabilities. Recurring epileptic seizures are also common.

Though Keith recovered from the illness it changed his life forever. He suffered brain and neuromuscular damage and also lost the majority of his eyesight. He had to start all over again, barely out of his toddler years, learning basic skills and coping with the loss of sensory and motor control. With all of that, Keith remained an active, energetic child.

Curfman remembers her brother being as active as any of the other children she knew. "I don't know if I was just too young to notice, but except for his blindness Keith went outside and played and we acted like normal kids," she said. "We lived in an apartment building on the corner of Market and Monroe Street in Xenia and he ran in the back yard like all other kids."

Keith's physical and mental disabilities did not seem to slow him down, but, according to those around him, his blindness is the one problem that seemed to restrict his development the most. At the age of 6, Keith was sent to Columbus, Ohio to attend the Ohio State School for the Blind (OSSB).

Originally opened in 1837 as the Ohio Institution for the Education of the Blind, the institution was the first public school for the blind in the United States. Visually impaired students from 3 to 21 years of age have the opportunity to complete their entire education in one specialized location from kindergarten through high school. Publicly funded programs at the facility also provide vocational training if needed.

Keith lived at OSSB until he was 13, coming home during the summer months and on holidays. His eyesight never really improved though he can see colors and large, close shapes. While the education he received at OSSB helped him cope with his blindness, he still required further training to help him with advanced daily living and vocational skills.

When he was 19 years old Keith was enrolled at the William A. Proctor Center in Cincinnati. For two years he lived at the facility and learned the skills needed to manage his day-to-day life that most people take for granted.

Over the years, Keith adjusted to his world with perseverance, occasionally adjusting things to suit him instead. Now, at the age of 50, Keith is an organized, active adult. With the help of professional care providers, he once again lives in Cedarville in his own apartment.

This bright, thoughtful and friendly man does everything that most people do every day - he just does them a little differently. He gets up in the morning, has breakfast, goes to work, does his laundry and he even has a home office. Like everyone else he is concerned about the economy and is careful with his money and, though he cannot drive, he has an amazing mind for road directions.

More energetic than many of his age, Keith enjoys running and doing things outside, often giving his caregivers a workout as well just keeping up with his energetic pace. He likes working on the computer and his PC is outfitted to display large fonts, responding to his actions verbally when he types on the keyboard. Keith especially enjoys movies, his favorites of which have a military theme.

To the sighted, it might seem difficult for someone who is blind to "watch" television. In reality, Keith actually listens to the dialogue, sound effects and music that are used to tell the story, much in the same way the dialogue and written action is used in a book.

"I have a lot of war movies that I like," Keith said. "I like Jarhead." His choice of movies is consistent with his interest in the military. "I want to join the Army or the Marines," he said. "Here's my Marine book," he continued, holding a copy of a recruitment brochure. "They said I'm too old."

Over the next three weeks, this series will examine Keith's home and work life and see how he's managing with the assistance of organizations like Greene Inc. and Equal People, of Springfield. It will also uncover what the future may hold for this determined man. Hopefully, through Keith's story, someone out there might find the assistance they need for themselves or a loved one.

Don't miss Part II: There's No Place Like Home