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Featuring Andersen Windows NARI' Licensed & Insured ;4;1== LAST CI4ANCE Blovvoat Sale 75% OFF Carclq + Wrap + Accelorm + Calendar%. fiarry in for bee 5electionl ap to izj 1/10 2003 40 544;f 1 r4 714 248 855 2240 - - sibly inherit it from him. The disease also skips generations. Leber's is similar to the far more com- mon visual disease of macular degenera- tion in that central vision is lost, but peripheral (side) vision remains. Macular degeneration, however, almost exclusively afflicts the elderly. In fact, it is the most common cause of visual loss among sen- iors. Dr. Skarf compares the disease to bald- ing: The bald spot is in the middle, with hair remaining around the edges. With macular degeneration, the hair loss is gradual; with Leber's, "it's like being hit with chemo — the hair falls out sudden- ly and rapidly." Emotional Toll Call today \I Community The Boardwalk • Orchard Lake Rd. • West Bloomfield In March 1999, Bell began losing vision in his right eye. He remembers his despair when, by Pesach, he could barely read the Haggadah. Within five weeks, the vision was lost. Lisa talks about the difficulty the fami- ly had adjusting the first year. "We just didn't know what to expect," she says. "I overreacted, like freaking out when the kids left toys on the floor that Jeff could trip over." There were frustrating practical diffi- culties, like Lisa suddenly becoming the sole driver and "having to do every- thing." And there was the frustration of Bell no longer being able to work. Harder yet were the emotional zings, the "panic of the unknown," as Lisa calls it. "It hurt to think that he'd never see our kids walk down the aisle, that he'd never see my face again. I couldn't find a support system; nobody understood. The [Orthodox] community pitched in to help, but they were as much stumped as we were." Little things got to her: "When a wife has to help her husband with simple things, it's very emotionally trying. Like I'd have to sneak back to the kitchen to rewash the dishes he'd help me with. On Chanukah, Jeff couldn't light the candles. Everyone started to cry," she says. "It doesn't help to be in denial," Bell says. "You can't assume family members won't be affected, because they will." Bell was assigned a counselor at the Michigan Commission for the Blind and was taught daily living skills through the Commission's Vision Handicapped Services. He tried to learn Braille, but says it's very difficult to learn as an adult. Instead, he is learning to use a speech screen-reading program on the computer. Although he can no longer read or drive, Bell maintains his peripheral vision, so he isn't totally blind. He can get by in many ways, and can even ride a bicycle, albeit slowly. He's trained himself to look directly at people when he speaks to them, which puts-them at ease. His blue eyes look focused and "normal" — it's hard to believe he's not really looking back. The most important thing Bell says he was taught was how to function psycho- logically. "I was told to realize that I have two lives: pre-blindness and post-blind- ness. The thing is to not mix expecta- dons — we're not frustrated that we can't fly like a bird, for instance. My life is dif- ferent now You adapt." Move To Israel Nevertheless, Bell's life without sight was hard in Detroit, especially in the winter- time with Midwest snow, ice and slip- pery streets. In March of 2000, the Bells went to Israel for a 13-day visit. Both had been there previously. Lisa says she's always wanted to move to Israel, but this trip clinched it. "I saw Jeff get off a bus and suddenly realized — we can live here! He can be inde- pendent and a mentsch! I felt like a weight was lifted off my shoulders," she says. The Bells made the big move in August 2000. "HaShem [God] kept putting things into our hands," she continues. The couple found an apartment "right away' in Ramat Bet Shemesh, a popular new neighborhood mid-way between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. The rapidly growing community of about 1,800 families is about two-thirds Anglo (immigrants from English-speaking countries). "It was a wonderfully positive decision for them to make aliyah," says Dr. Skarf. "Detroit is the worst possible city for vision loss; we're completely dependent on automobiles here." Besides the availability of public trans- portation and the improvement in weather, the Bells point to the Israeli dif- ference in attitude toward the disabled as a major factor in their decision to make aliyah. "People seem to know instinctively what to do for each other," says Lisa. "If you need anything, they're there in a blink." "It's because Jews feel an obligation to take care of one another," her husband adds. Jeff mentions some small accommoda- tions that make a difference for him: "Bus drivers announce the bus number when they open the door for you, and there is free local busing for the blind." He laughs: "I have to push old people