Student's determination helps overcome blindness
It was just a casual conversation when Silver Bluff High School student Emily Zimmerman mentioned to math teacher Mary Thomas last spring her regret that she would never be able to drive.
So one day Thomas invited Emily to stay after school, and Emily got to drive a golf cart around the campus.
"There's a big field in the back," said Thomas, now at Evans High School, "so I also let her drive my convertible. Emily just did what I said, go to the left, go to the right."
The directions were necessary because in September 2008, Emily lost her sight following surgery to remove a brain tumor.
At a Christmas Eve service Thursday at River of Life Church where her dad is the pastor, Emily grinned mischievously that Thomas had related that story.
"I was really careful," she said gravely and then burst out laughing.
As much as anything, it is that laugh that immediately charms and astounds those whom Emily has known for years and others she has just met. She doesn't bother with soft chuckles or the quick guffaw. Emily will throw her head back and laugh heartily with genuine glee because 16 months ago she made the conscious choice to live like that.
"I look at it like this," the Silver Bluff junior said last week. "If I handle it with a bad attitude, I will miss so many good things that can happen. I have met so many cool and amazing people that I wouldn't have met if I hadn't gone blind. When I was a freshman, I told my mom I wanted to make an impact. I have done that."
Until 2007, the Zimmermans had been so, well, normal. No sickness, no major stresses, just parents and four children whose lives revolved around God and church. John and Janet Zimmerman had grown up in Minnesota in strong Christian homes and later met at the Christ for The Nations Bible college in Dallas, Texas.
After their marriage, John pastored a church in Minneapolis for nine years, and he and Janet welcomed children Andrew, Matthew, Emily and the youngest, Sarah. Fourteen years ago, John felt that the Lord was leading him in a different direction. He heard about an opening at River of Life, then known as North Aiken Baptist Church, and later, he accepted the call.
It was the right move for the family, Janet said, once they got over the culture shock and the introduction to collard greens and okra. The boys attended a church school for about two years, and when Emily started first grade, Janet began home-schooling all four kids.
Once they completed eighth-grade, the boys enrolled at Silver Bluff. Andrew works for UPS, and Matthew attends the University of South Carolina.
Emily said she and Sarah enjoyed a great relationship, always having a ready playmate and someone with whom to share secrets.
When her turn arrived to start school at Silver Bluff, Emily admitted she was scared about attending a public high school. But Matthew was still there, and she knew he would watch out for her.
During that first semester, Emily began complaining of fatigue and headaches and was having trouble with her vision. Her parents took her to an optometrist, who soon would refer Emily to a retinal specialist. He couldn't find anything wrong and ordered an MRI.
The Zimmermans had focused on Emily's vision and were shocked when a radiologist found a tumor with a spongy mass the size of a softball in her head. They met neurosurgeon Dr. Mark Lee and were impressed by his pledge to treat Emily as if she were his own daughter. The surgery was scheduled Dec. 17, 2007.
"I couldn't believe what was happening," Emily said. "The tumor was one in a million, and I couldn't help but ask, 'Why me?' I asked so many questions and got no answers."
By the time of the surgery, she had lost vision in one eye and had diminished sight in the other. The operation restored her sight immediately, but with the size of the tumor, another surgery was scheduled for February 2008. There were other complications, the most serious of them an extensive short-term memory loss.
By April, however, Emily's memory was improving, and remarkably, she completed her freshman year in June 2008 with her mother's help and that of homebound teachers.
She was excited about starting her sophomore year as a full-time student, but her vision and memory problems returned and the family's new fears were confirmed; the tumor had grown back. The neurosurgeon removed the tumor in early September 2008 and then when Emily couldn't see afterward, he went back in three days later to try to salvage what he could of her vision. But it soon became apparent the tumor had severely damaged the optic nerve.
But that didn't stop Emily from getting a dream opportunity, thanks to the Make-A-Wish Foundation chapters in Aiken and Chicago. The entire family went to New York a year ago to see "The Lion King" on Broadway, as well as other cultural activities. That was important trip for all of them and just another example of the support they have received from friends, their church family and the community, John and Janet said.
Emily returned to school part-time after the Make-A-Wish trip, but before that, she and her mom had spoken to the student body at a Christmas assembly. Perhaps not surprisingly, some of Emily's friends and acquaintances hadn't known how to cope with her illness and unintentionally had rejected her.
"What I wanted to get across to the students is that this is Emily," Janet said. "She's blind, but she is the same person she was before. We wanted to get this out there and made it humorous. A lot of kids said they admired her."
Emily still has residual issues: a damaged pituitary gland, headaches and some memory loss. She doesn't dwell on these things and none of her teachers and classmates would believe there's anything wrong with her memory. Emily makes the honor roll and with her mother's help in going over assignments for hours every night, she has developed into a talented auditory learner.
She has learned some Braille skills, but with her keyboarding ability, prefers a laptop given to her by the school district that converts typed text into spoken words. Three teaching aides at Silver Bluff share the assignment of assisting her throughout the day. But it's hardly a chore for them, and they give Emily a lot of grief, which she enjoys.
"But she really is amazing, especially all that she can remember in math," teaching aide Rhonda Hawes said. "She knows it's killing me to talk nicely about her."
Last spring Emily came to culinary arts teacher Susan Few seeking a favor; she wanted to take her class and learn how to cook. Few did some research over the summer and has accommodated Emily with measuring cups that talk to her, Braille "dots" on the microwave and elbow-length potholders.
"Emily's listening skills are incredible," Few said. "On the exam, she made the only 100 in the class. She's witty and upbeat and inspirational. She teaches me."
Contact Rob Novit at rnovit@aikenstandard.com or at 644-2391.
