Contact: Mary Ellen Frost
Phone: (207) 426-2651
Email:
AMERICAN COUNCIL OF THE BLIND OF MAINE
PRESENTS
PRESS RELEASE
PUTTING LIFE BACK TOGETHER
Woman who became blind tells her story about making her way back to a happy successful life
Bangor, ME, September 20, 2012: At twenty-six years of age, Sue Martin’s life had hit rock bottom. Deeply depressed, she had reached the point where she believed she no longer had options. Placing a loaded gun to her head, she pulled the trigger. There was an explosion and, in an instant, her world went dark.
Sue didn’t manage to kill herself, but the failed attempt caused the loss of her eyesight. Now, on top of the depression she had been wrestling with, she would have to face an even more formidable foe, dealing with being newly blind and having to put her life back together.
Sue Martin has reached a point in her life where she feels she can help others by sharing her story. She is writing a book about her journey to be published Spring 2013. Come listen to Sue Martin share her compelling story on Thursday, September 20th. Her presentation will be held from 12:30 to 3:30 in the Penobscot Room at the BangorCareerCenter, 45 Oak Street, Bangor, Maine. She will share her remarkable experience, both as a recipient and as a provider of blind rehab services.
The process of rehab gave her the confidence to take the first steps forward into a world requiring a different vision. She grabbed on to rehabilitation with great enthusiasm and hung on tight. After completing her formal rehabilitation, Sue entered the field of blind rehab, obtaining a master’s degree a few years later from WesternMichiganUniversity. She worked in the field for over twenty years. Sue lived in Maine for fifteen years, working for The Iris Network as a Certified Vision Rehab Therapist, a Certified Low Vision Therapist, and an assistive technology instructor.
Sue remains blissfully married to her husband of twenty-seven years, Jim, and also remains happily immersed in a fast-paced, cutting-edge career at the United States Department of Veterans Affairs. She and a team of technical experts ride herd together, ensuring that information technology used by VA is accessible to individuals with disabilities.