|
Battling Parkinson’s One Match at a Time
 The soft crumple of a taffeta wedding ribbon, the crisp zip of folding a bulletin, the gentle plunk of files sliding into place—all of these were sounds that Irene Franks knew by heart.
“I did whatever my church in Virginia needed me to do,” remembers Irene with a smile. “I volunteered there for four or five days a week for five and a half years. But when I moved to Tennessee with my daughter and was diagnosed with Parkinson’s, I knew I would have to slow down."
For a little while, Irene rested and did not look for a place to volunteer. But living alone in an apartment in her daughter’s basement, Irene found that even though she ate some meals with the family upstairs and frequently spent time with them, she still got lonely.
“That’s why I was glad when my daughter suggested that I volunteer at the Samaritan Center. I knew I would like being busy again,” says Irene.
At the Center, Irene manages all of the greeting cards and socks that come into the Center, making sure that every card has a matching envelope and every sock has a matching twin.
“It’s challenging work, and the socks especially can be a little frustrating,” Irene confides. But that doesn’t stop her from coming in for three hours three days a week.
“I’m 77 years old, and I’m glad I can get out and go,” shares Irene. “The people at the Samaritan Center are nice, and I like that what I’m doing is helping others.
“Sure, I can’t walk like I used to, and I have constant pain in my back and my legs, but I figure if I put one foot in front of the other, I’m okay. And I do. I put one foot in front of the other, and away I go.”
|
