[2J[1m[37;46mĿ[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mTo believe that a person could go through so much sad and                    [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mtraumatic events, would truly state that you have witnessed a miracle.       [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mFor eight years she has suffered day after day with stomach problems,        [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mrespiratory problems, and skin problems. But, perhaps the worst position     [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mthat any person can be placed in, is the one that she has faced for eight    [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mlong years with an attitude and personality that should be rewarded time     [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mand time again.  Every day Michelle wakes from her bed as the rest of the    [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mworld and begins her daily routines. But Michelle must do things a           [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mlittle slower because she does it with no sight.  For eight years Michelle   [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mhas been blind because of another mans mistakes.                             [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46m                                                                             [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mThere can be nothing as challenging than to go without ones sight.           [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mBut often Michelle wishes this were her only problem, that she were just     [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mblind.  Due to Michelle's special condition she also must worry how long     [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mher eyes will stay in a healthy condition.  The cornea in both her eyes      [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mare dangerously thin. This allows for either cornea at any time to wear      [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mthin enough for the inner fluids to leak which will cause the loss of the    [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46meye. In addition to her thinning corneas Michelle also has developed         [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mglaucoma in both eyes causing her to return to the operating room again      [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mand again.                                                                   [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46m                                                                             [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mOn her most recent attempt to better her eyes, Michelle returned to          [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mNew York where she confides in a few of the best medical doctors she         [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mknows.  She was to have a valve placed into her right eye that would         [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mallow for the fluids to drain and reduce the pressure caused by the          [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mglaucoma.  She has had the same type of valve placed in her left eye         [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46myears ago.  At the same time the doctors where to remove a cataract          [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mthat had formed.  Once this had been accomplished then a 6 mm cornea         [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mtransplant would be placed in the eye and the surgery then complete.         [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mBut at the last minute before Michelle went into surgery she noticed that    [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mthe left eye had begun to leak due to a tear in the thin cornea.             [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mSo now in addition to all that she planned to have done on the right eye     [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mshe now also needed to have something done with the left eye.                [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46m                                                                             [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mThe time came for Michelle to go into the operating room, and the            [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mdoctors went to work trying to fix her eyes.  When all was said and done,    [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mshe had received the valve with a small complication that led to a           [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mhemorrhage in the back of her right eye.  The cataract was removed, and      [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46ma 6 mm cornea transplant was preformed on her right eye.  Then the thin      [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mcornea in the left eye was removed and a 6 mm cornea transplant was placed   [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mon it as well.                                                               [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46m                                                                             [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mTo begin everything seemed to be going well after the surgery.               [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mThe right eye had begun to heal and the new valve seemed to be working.      [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mDoctors promise that as the debris in the anterior chamber and the           [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mhemorrhage begin to clear up that sight should return in the right eye.      [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mThe left eye was doing ok but had a small leak.  and both corneas            [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mappeared clear.  Michelle was released from the hospital, and her            [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mboyfriend, whom she had seen for the first time, drove her to New Jersey     [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mwhere she would stay while her eye's healed.  After a few days the right     [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46meye was 50% healed, but the left eye was still leaking.  So, Michelle was    [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mbrought back into the operating room where her doctor re-stitched the new    [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mcornea.  The eye were to remain covered until the following day when the     [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mdoctor would return to check the new sutures.                                [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46m                                                                             [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mFor two weeks Michelle went through the routine of going into surgery        [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mre- stitching the cornea and waiting twenty-four hours to re-check.  Each    [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mtime the doctor would return in hope that the eye had stopped leaking and    [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mcould be on its way to health.  And, each time the patches were removed      [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mMichelle would be given the bad news, and she and her doctor would return    [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mto the operating room.  Finally, after eight attempts to stabilize the       [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46meye it had begun to heal.  The right eye had completely healed, and          [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mthe cornea was still clear.  The valve that had been placed in her eye       [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mwas working wonderfully and the cataract appeared to be completely gone.     [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mHowever, due to the complication in surgery that caused the hemorrhage       [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46min the back of her eye, she still was unable see.  Doctors still promise     [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46min time as the eye clears up she may regain sight in that right eye.         [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46m                                                                             [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mSo finally, for Michelle things were starting to look good.   She            [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mwas basically waiting for the right eye to clear up and the left eye to      [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mheal completely. As the left eye began to heal Michelle started to see       [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46magain.  She noticed her doctors shirt when visiting for a check up, she      [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46msaw people on the television and she would count the blinds in the window.   [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mNow, Michelle's left eye were 99% healed and all she waited for to return    [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mhome was that 1% to heal and to receive her new contact lens's.  The         [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mnight before she was to receive her lenses her doctor decided to remove      [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mthe lens from her left eye that had been placed there only to help it        [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mheal.  The next day the contacts arrived, but overnight Michelle's left      [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46meye had regressed from 99% healed back to only 50%.  So again Michelle       [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mwould wait for the left eye to heal before she could return home.  One       [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mweek slipped by and then another, still the left eye had not healed.         [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mNow this short trip had turned into a waiting game.                          [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46m                                                                             [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mSuddenly, one night Michelle felt sick, she was in great pain and            [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mcould not stop vomiting.  The very next day she complained of severe pain    [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46min her right eye and was admitted back into the hospital and went directly   [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46minto surgery.  The right eye had become very infected and doctors needed     [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mto get behind the eye for cultures.  It turns out that she had a very bad    [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46minfection and needed to stay in the hospital for atleast a week.             [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mFor seven days nurses would administer antibiotics by I.V. four times a      [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mday, she would take breathing medicines three times a day and specialist     [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mwould draw blood four times a day.  The eye slowly began to return to        [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mnormal and after a week the I.V. antibiotics were stopped.  Michelle then    [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mwent on antibiotics in pill form and was told she had to stay yet another    [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mweek to make sure everything was okay.  There was no word from the lab       [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mas to what or where the infection came from.  Michelle thought it could      [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mbe just a sinus infection and hopefully no harm had been done to the eye.    [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46m                                                                             [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mAfter the second week the right eye had returned to a stable                 [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mcondition but the eye had done some shrinking.  Michelle was just happy      [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mshe could come off all the medications.  However, the epithelium in          [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mMichelle's left eye had still not healed and Due to some uncomfortable       [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46msituations at the house Michelle had been staying at, she asked if she       [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mcould just stay in the hospital.  She was allowed to stay for three days     [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mmore but then had to leave.  Back at the house in New Jersey Michelle        [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mstruggled to keep her spirits up, now the left cornea had started to         [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mcloud up and still had not healed.  And, doctors were not sure how much      [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mdamage the right eye had suffered.  As well Michelle felt most               [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46muncomfortable in the house she were staying, it seems the washing            [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mmachine had been shut off.  So her mother could not do any laundry           [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mand a day later the pots and pans could not be found.                        [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46m                                                                             [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mMichelle was at her daily doctors visit the next day.  When the most         [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mshocking news of all came.  The doctor had looked at her eye and Michelle    [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mbegun to cry because there had been no changes.  In an attempt to keep       [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mMichelle fighting, her doctor told her: "Michelle your very lucky to be      [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46msitting here with us today, the infection in your right eye was              [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mreported to be the strep varidans virus".  (known as the flesh               [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46meating disease) Michelle could only cry.                                     [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46m                                                                             [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mThis visit Dr. Lister decided to try a new approach to help                  [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mthe left eye heal.  A collagen shield would be placed over the eye           [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mand on top of that the contact lens.  Michelle returned the following day    [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mand the doctor inspected her eye.  The eye had started to heal.  Finally,    [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mMichelle was on her way to recovery and hopefully back to Florida.           [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mThe next day Michelle returned to the office and the eye had healed          [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46manother 15%.  Things were still getting worse at the house Michelle          [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mand her mother were staying at.  For one whole day the electric had          [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mbeen shut off in her room, so her and her mother just sat and sang songs.    [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46m                                                                             [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mOn Michelle's next visit to the doctor pictures would be taken to            [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46msee what damage the right eye had suffered.  Sadly, the doctor  was          [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46munable to see much at all.  The eye had too much debris from the             [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46minfection to see the back of the eye.  So, like the rest of Michelle's       [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mtrip time would tell.  Finally, news came that Michelle may possibly be      [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mcoming home.  The wound in her left eye was now 90% healed and within        [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mthe next few days would be completely healed over.  The efforts to find      [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mMichelle a new place to stay for the next week had come to an end, so        [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mshe and her mother would try to just stick it out at this house from hell.   [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mSix days before Michelle were to come home she received yet more bad news.   [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mHer doctors, though not certain, assumed that due to the complications and   [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mthe virus in her right eye that she would never see out of that eye again.   [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mFor Michelle this is a concept that would not be accepted, she still has     [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46msome faith in the right eye and intends to prove the doctors wrong.          [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mThe doctors as well all hope that Michelle can prove their assumptions       [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mwrong.                                                                       [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46m                                                                             [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mMichelle's last weekend in this nightmare would be spent with her            [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mfamily and friends in Staten Island.  Mostly so she and her mother           [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mcould get away from the house.  After the weekend, Michelle returned to      [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mthe house in New Jersey.  On Monday, she was to visit the doctor again       [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mto check on the long slow healing of her left eye.  The eye had returned     [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mto that same frightening 99% when last time things turned for the worse.     [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mMichelle and her mother returned to the house in hopes that everything       [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mwould be okay with both her eye and her living conditions.  On wednesday     [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mthey returned to the doctors office for the final word.  At last the eye     [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mhad healed.                                                                  [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46m                                                                             [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mMichelle and her mother were finally on the way home.  After 71 days         [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mMichelle's journey had finally come to an end.  The experience leaves        [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mMichelle in a predicament that no man or woman should endure.                [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mThe outcome of her efforts constitute for the right eye: possible loss       [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mof her vision for life; substantial shape distortion; and damage to          [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mthe optic nerve.  For the left eye a new cornea but no sight due to the      [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mlengthy amount of time it took to heal. And Michelle's spirit,               [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46menough emotional distress and financial obligation to bring down a           [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46msmall nation.                                                                [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46m                                                                             [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mMichelle will continue to visit her doctors in hopes that one day            [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46msomeone or something will look down on her and smile, and give her the       [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mvision that she deserves so much.  It is truly a sad day when the            [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mtechnology is there to give one sight, but a man and his rules, or           [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mego will stand in the way.  (Michelle could recieve a synthetic              [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mcornea that would give her sight.  But the FDA wil not approve it.)          [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46m                                                                             [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mFor making Michelle's trip a little easier a special thanks goes out to:     [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46m                                                                             [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mMichelle's mother Paola                                                      [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mDr. Lister and the girls in the office                                       [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mSal Italiano                                                                 [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mBeverly the head nurse                                                       [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mSusan Ilczycsin and the Lombardi's for their efforts back home               [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mand all of you who thought and prayed for Michelle in her time of need.      [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46m                                                                             [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46m                                                                             [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46m                                        -Scott Jacobs                        [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46m                                                                             [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46m***                                                                          [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46m                                                                             [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46mYou can reach Scott Jacobs through Cyberspace 2000 (813) 939-1760, or        [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;46myou can use FLinkNET to reach him.                                           [1m[37;46m[40m
[1m[37;46m[1m[37;40m
