By KENDALL OWENS
T-H Staff Writer
After more than a decade of struggling to see, the gift of sight has been restored for one Forrest City man thanks to local opthamologist Thomas Beasley.
Adam Jackson, 24, who had suffered with deteriorating vision since he was about 10 years old, according to his mother Beverly, recently had his cornea replaced after Beasley discovered a rare disease that was causing Adam to lose the sight in his right eye. The disease would eventually cause blindness in both eyes because the loss of sight in the right eye would have caused too much stress on the left eye.
"When Adam was 10, we took him to the doctor because he would always have to get closer and closer to the television at home and to the chalkboard at school. Every doctor we ever took him to would just say that he had a lazy eye, and he'd have to work around it," said Beverly.
The same reasons for his deteriorating sight were given to Adam through high school and even when he attempted to enter the United States Army.
"Through his teen years, we heard the same things, and we had problems getting him to pass the driving exam because even though he could see using his glasses, he just couldn't focus enough to pass the eye exam. We finally took him to a doctor in Monticello and he told him that it wasn't his eyes, but there was something on his brain. When he went into the Army, he heard the same things and had the same tests that found nothing new," she said.
It was actually a bit of misfortune that sent Adam to Dr. Beasley's office originally. According to his mother, Adam broke a pair of glasses and went to Dr. Beasley to have them replaced.
"He went through this his whole life, and within one hour of being at Dr. Beasley's, he had found out exactly what was wrong for all of those years. Dr. Beasley and his office were just wonderful. Adam told them that he didn't have the money to pay for a transplant and Dr. Beasley told him to let him worry about that. His staff did all of the paperwork and within one day of being put on the donor list, Dr. Beasley's office was calling to tell us they had a donor," said Beverly.
The blessing that Beasley provided to Adam has been greatly appreciated by the young man who said, "Knowing that you're steadily going blind and that things that you could normally see are getting more and more difficult to see is not a good feeling. It didn't take Dr. Beasley 15 minutes and he told me what was wrong. Then, we had the surgery, and now I'm on the recovery path. Everything is slowly getting better, and I can now see as well with my right eye as I can with my left. It really was just a blessing for me."
According to Beasley, experiences such as Jackson's are just one of the rewards of being a physician.
"It always feels good to know that you've helped a patient. It's one of the rewards of medicine, and it's something that we do all the time. I'm just flattered by Mr. Jackson's appreciation," Beasley said.
Beasley also said that the optimism of his patients and seeing their recovery provides the thrill of working in medicine.
"We try to do our very best, and I'm as optimistic as the patients about their outcome because I sort of have an intuitive feeling as to what it's like not to be able to see. I see so many people that have problems, and even in our everyday care, with glaucoma and cataracts and such, that I look forward to the day those patients come back and they're happy and feeling well and able to see and drive again. It's a thrill, and it really makes medicine a pleasure."
The road to recovery for Adam may be a long one, but according to him and his mother, it's a road that might not have been traveled without the help of Beasley.
"I thank God for Dr. Beasley. It's painful for any parent to see their child suffering with something that they can't help with. Dr. Beasley and his staff were caring in every way that they could be. I just thank God that he was sent to us," said Beverly.
By DAVID NICHOL
T-H Staff Writer
Ballots are expected to be on time for the beginning of early voting for the annual school election.
That was the news from Friday's meeting of the St. Francis County Election Commission. Early voting is to begin Tuesday.
There have been some problems in the past with ballots not arriving in time for early voting, but confidence was expressed that the ballots will arrive on time.
Judy Armstrong, election coordinator, commented that "The paper always reports it when the ballots aren't ready on time, but never reports it when they're on time."
Early voting will take place in the County Clerk's office. State law allows off-site voting, but the commission decided to keep it at the clerk's office. Early voting will take place from 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. There will be no Saturday voting.
The election will take place Tuesday, Sept. 16. Early voting will continue through the day before of the election.
The Commission also agreed to purchase supplies for the election, including special pencils for marking ballots, pencil sharpeners, legal pads, copying paper, etc.
There was also a discussion of stub boxes. Commission member Bettye Proctor said the existing boxes are "played out." She said she couldn't find anyone to make them.
"But, since they don't have numbers on them," it might not be that big a problem.
"What does everybody else do?" asked Joe Young, another member.
"Most of them have electronic, automated voting machines and they don't have to fool with them," said Proctor. "We're one of about seven counties left that still have the stubs."
"I think if we have any kind of little box we can put them in it," said Young. "They're not numbered, and they're not as important as the ballot."
Proctor added that accounting for all the ballots -- including those not given to voters -- is extremely important under a new law. "This has got to be mailed in to Little Rock, and if it doesn't tally, we're going to be in trouble."
The pursuit of a stolen vehicle lead to an accident and the arrest of a parolee in Hughes Sunday morning.
Arkansas State Police Troop D Headquarters in Forrest City reported that about 8:05 a.m. Sunday, a stolen 1995 Maroon Isuzu was spotted at a convenience store in Hughes. The vehicle had allegedly been involved in an aggravated assault and robbery in the Horseshoe Lake area.
According to the report, the Hughes Police Department was in pursuit of the vehicle traveling west on Highway 38. Trooper First Class David West joined the pursuit at the intersection of Highways 38 and 50. West reportedly drove in front of the vehicle on Highway 38 with his lights activated. The Isuzu then passed West on the right and began speeding in front of his patrol unit.
When the vehicle came to an intersection, the driver made a u-turn, causing West's unit to strike the driver's door. The Isuzu was driven off the roadway and into a ditch at which time West approached the driver, Lavelle Antonio Wright, 25, of West Memphis, who again attempted to drive away. State police reported West then shot out the driver's side tire in an effort to prevent Wright from fleeing again.
Wright was taken into custody and charged with felony fleeing, reckless driving, driving while intoxicated and theft by receiving by the State Police. He was also wanted by Crittenden County for felony assault and theft. He is on parole and is being held in the St. Francis County Jail.
By TAMARA JOHNSON
Managing Editor
A Colt man, who witnesses told police appeared to be racing his motorcycle, died Friday afternoon when he wrecked on West Broadway.
The Forrest City Police Department reported Paul Oscar Hendrickson, 41, was killed in the accident that occurred just after 4 p.m. just past the West Broadway intersection with Turner Road.
Police reported Hendrickson was driving west on West Broadway/Highway 70, and as he passed the curve at Turner Road, he lost control of his motorcycle and left the highway. The motorcycle traveled across a vacant parking lot and came to rest near Alderson Street, about 192 feet from where the motorcycle first left the highway.
Two witnesses told police the motorcycle appeared to be traveling at a high rate of speed, and one of those witnesses told police Hendrickson was racing with another motorcycle just prior to the accident.
However, the police report does not identify a second motorcyclist as being involved in the accident.
Hendrickson's 2002 Honda received an estimated $1,000 damage in the accident.
Hendrickson was transported by ambulance to Baptist Memorial Hospital-Forrest City where he was pronounced dead a short time later.