Penny Pester views life differently than most
Mar 17, 2008, 11:38
Sherenna Clinton
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She glides through her living room in white closed-toe house shoes, toward the ringing phone with ease, and makes her way back to the burgundy lounge chair seated directly in front of the color television.
She doesn't watch it anymore; the movement makes her nauseous. She only listens to the tones and emotions behind the voices. Pester is physically blind. But her passion for life at 83 years old is crystal-clear.
Born in Merriam County, Kan., Pester was one of 11 children. After returning from World War II, Pester's husband, Robert Pester, became very ill. In 1958, he died of leukemia.
Pester was left alone to raise five children: three sons and two daughters. She wanted to do more than work at the local Sears, but wasn't sure how that would happen with only an eighth-grade level education.
"I grew up in a family where girls really didn't go out and get an education," she said. "But I needed to do something besides work as a sales clerk."
As a young child, Pester had wanted to be a veterinarian. As she got older, her passion shifted to the medical field. In 1964, a doctor at a North Kansas City hospital agreed to pay Pester's tuition for nursing school. Upon completion of the program, she received her Licensed Practical Nurse license. Shortly after, she went back to school to obtain her Registered Nurse license. She spent the next 22 years working as an RN at Truman Medical Center in Kansas City, Mo.
Pester retired in 1989, but never lost her passion for nursing.
"I'd go back in a New York minute if I could see," said Pester. "My experience in the ER at Truman was the best years of my life."
Aware of the technological changes since she left the medical field, Pester has noticed a change in the medical profession.
"They seem to nurse the computer more than they nurse the patient," she said.
In 2000, Pester was diagnosed with dry macular degeneration, a condition most suffered by those ages 50 or older. Dry macular degeneration occurs when cells and blood vessels underneath the macula (central retina) break down and cause deposits called drusen, causing some loss of vision. Since being diagnosed, Pester has refused to allow her condition to limit her lifestyle.
"I haven't accepted it. I've just adjusted each day," said Pester.
Pester wears a pair of dark shaded glasses inside and outside the home to block the light from hurting her eyes. Pointing to a pair of black-and-white pictures on her wall, Pester explains what it is that she can see.
They're just black spots to me," she said. "There's no detail."
Pester walks to a coffee table to retrieve a picture of a young boy.
"This is my grandson," she said. "She has to put the frame inches away from her nose to make it out."
Pester's home is filled with gadgets to make things more comfortable and accessible. With the donations made by The American Foundation for the Blind in Warrensburg, Pester's life has been made easier. She received a desktop computer with a screen that increases the images to accommodate her vision impairment. It includes a voice prompter that reads back what she has typed and indicates errors. She's also received a Braille tape player to listen to books on cassette and other helpful accessibility devices.
Pester is an avid fan of football, and during the season, can be found listening to the television and two radio stations broadcasting the game.
"As long as I've got football, I'm fine," she said."Willie Fritz always brings me things he knows I'll like," pointing to the UCM 2007 Football Media Guide. "He knows I can't read but he still brings it. I just have people read me a page out of it when they come over."
She enjoys going to daily mass, visiting with her sister circle twice a week, and hiking through the mountains when she gets a chance. People are especially interested to know how she is able to hike along trails in her condition.
"I'm blind, not crippled!" she said. "I don't classify myself as disabled. I classify myself as a frustrated woman who's adjusting."
Pester is full of life and is determined to not allow her condition to rob her of experiencing it.
"I just believe in living," she said. "There's always something around the curve."
Long-time friend Bernice Trembly is excited to talk about Pester.
"She's who I want to be when I grow up," said Trembly. "She's totally independent. She's brilliant."
Pester credits her church family and faith in helping her through her journey.
"My faith has helped me," she said. "When you can't see, you have to have faith."
She is especially grateful to her daughter Kay Sauer, who takes her to run errands, and is always around to help when necessary.
"I don't feel the need to have to be in control," said Pester. "I was that person. I wanted everything in order."
Now she relies on Saucer and Trembly to lend a hand.
Pester is thankful for the help of her friends and family, but would like to get UCM students more involved in the lives of senior citizens, especially those who are blind.
"I'd like to see the college do something with the blind," she said. "They could come out and read to us or just spend time with us."
Pester's compassion and heart for people can be seen miles away. Her dignity and confidence overflow with humility as she describes her past, re-living the best and worst of times. But for Pester, nothing can compare to her future; she believes that there is something just around the next curve, and is anticipating its arrival.
