By CHARLOT M. DENMON
Staff Correspondent
It was on a late night in
March, 1976, in a small town
near York, Pa. A car driven by a
17-year old came speeding into
the town at an estimated 110
miles per hour, tires squealed,
the driver lost control, tried to
brake but hit a concrete bridge.
He was Killed and his 15-year old
passenger critically injured, his
neck broken, his spinal cord
damaged; he was paralyzed for
life.
That 15-year old boy was John
Heim and he was in a film “A
Victim Speaks’’ presented
recently to Dallas Junior and
Senior High School students. The
film was part of a program
presented by the Dallas Parents
and Kids Organization, a pro-
gram on drinking and driving
Land what the results can be.
John Heim was not only in the
film, but also appeared in person
and spoke to the students. A
second victim of drunk driving,
Dan Severns, also appeared with
John.
Dan was 17 years old when he
went out for a ‘night on the
town” had what he termed a
“few” beers, but actually too
many, and on the way home, lost
control of his Volkswagen, hit a
tree and like John, broke his
neck. Now at age 26, he also is
confined to a wheel chair.
Neither victim remembers the
events of the nights that changed
their lives. But both of them
spoke to the students and
explained that they didn’t believe
it could happen to them. “You
know it can when it is too late,”
said John.
“J was at the age where I was
beginning to feel independent. I
thought, ‘I can drink, I' know how
to handle it, nothing can happen -
not to me.’ It did happen to me. I
have spent the past nine years in
this wheel chair, completely
dependent on others.”
John has no use of his legs and,
with the exception of several
fingers on his right hand, no use
| of his arms or hands. That is
why he is confined to a motorized
wheel chair, one he can operate
with one finger. His wrist flops
The victims
Dallas Post/Charlot M. Denmon
week.
about; he can’t control it. He is
strapped in his chair, can’t take
care of any of his needs, but
must depend on others.
He has been treated at a
number of rehabilitation centers
and now resides at Colonial
Nursing Home in York, among
many elderly persons. John is
mentally alert, but is unable to
do anything but sit and watch
television. All because of alcohol
and believing it could not happen
to him.
Evelyn Mason, nurse at Colo-
nial Manor, met John and asked
John to speak to her teenage
daughter and friends at school.
At first John said no, that he
couldn’t speak but after numer-
ous attempts, Evelyn convinced
John to go.
Following his talk to the stu-
dents, John received hundreds of
letters from the students encour-
aging him to talk to students at
other schools. John was willing
to go, but transporting him was a
problem since John was six feet
and weighed 150 lbs. He is dead
weight and often has muscle
spasms when attempts are made
to put him in a car.
Evelyn Mason decided that
John needed a special van with
an electronic lift if he were to
continue to speak. Insurance
would’ not cover the van, so
Evelyn arranged a $20,000 loan
and she and John co-founded “A
Victim Speaks’ as a non-profit
organization.
Later, they met Dan Severns,
also a paraplegic whom John had
known in the hospital. When he
learned what John was doing;
Dan volunteered to go with John
and Evelyn and also talk to
students about the dangers of
drunken driving since he was the
victim of his own driving while
drinking accident.
Dan also suffered a broken
neck but his spinal injury was
injured in a slightly different
manner than John’s. Dan cannot
move his legs, but he does have
sufficient movement of his arms
to allow him to use a manual
wheel chair. He does need some-
one to help get him dressed, get
him out of bed and into his wheel
chair and to prepare his meals.
Dan lives at home, but when
his parents are at work, he is at
the mercy of a friend. If that
friend is late or can’t get to
Dan’s home, Dan must remain in
bed until someone who can help
him comes in. Sometimes, he has
to stay in bed all day because no
one comes around.
The two young men are com-
pletely dependent on the willing-
ness of others to assist them in
their eating, toilet needs, medi-
cation, and such. Both must be
strapped in their chairs so they
do not fall forward although Dan
is able to drive a van which is
especially equipped for him. He
has two levers, one which he
moves up and down for speed
and braking, the other which he
must turn in order to steer.
“Something like rubbing your
head in one direction and your
stomach in the other,” explained
Evelyn Mason. “It’s not easy.”
“Go to your proms,’ John and
Dan told the students, ‘“We can’t
tell you not to drink but if you do,
don’t drive and don’t ride with
someone who has been drinking.
Don’t let what happened to us
happen to you.”
“Drunk driving is everyone's
problem; unless statistics
change, each and everyone of
you will be affected by a drunk
driving accident; something will
happen to you, your family, or
someone close to you. It can
happen to you but don’t let it,”
said John.
Exeuctive board members of
PAK (Parents and Kids) are Dr.
Chuck LaJeunesse, president;
Larry Schuler, vice president;
Carolyn Catrambone, Marianne
Williams, treasurer; JoAnn Hall
and Charles Kirchner, members-
at-large.
Added to the list of new offerings
for the Fall semester at Luzerne
County Community College is a two-
year associate degree program. in
Human Services.
The purpose of the curriculum is
to provide academic and practical
knowledge to students who are
interested in careers within the
human service field. The results of
| recent surveys taken of local human
| service agencies indicate that inter-
| est does exist in the establishment
of such a curriculum and its gradu-
ates could be seen as fulfilling a
variety of positions.
Specifically, those
| include Human Service Aide, Geria-
tric workers, Mental Health, Drug
and Alcohol and Youth Service
workers as well as in personnel and
Social Service departments. These
positions would be available within
Mental Health Agencies, Drug and
Alcohol Agencies, hospitals, nursing
homes and adult day-care centers.
The Human Services curriculum
at its present state adds approxi-
| mately seven new courses but also
compliments the college’s Social
Science courses presently being
offered since they maintain the core
of curriculum.
New courses offered through this
program include Introduction to
Human Services which provides an
overview of many facets involved in
petitions
the human service professions--the
roles and functions of human serv-
ice workers, the history and major
theoretical approaches to the help-
ing service, and desirable attitudes
and values.
Focusing on communication
theory and skills, an Interviewing
and Communications Skills course
is offered and will review the tech-
niques of interviewing, including
many practice sessions.
REPUBLICANS
VOTE
THE PEOPLE'S CHOICE
JOHN JONES THOMAS
FOR
JURY COMMISSIONER
LEVER - 14 A
ENDORSED BY THE
PEOPLE
NOT BY THE
POLITICIANS
WE
HAVE
MOVED!
| you better.
located in the
new 309-415
675-5211
P.0. Box 366
Dallas, Pa. 18612
Introduction : to Counseling will
also be offered afid will-provide the
student with the theoretical models
and baisc principles invovled in the
counseling process. Emphasis will
be placed on the applicability of
such models with the human service
setting. E:
For further information on the
Human Services curriculum at Luz-
erne County Community College
contact Dr. Ann Williams, Social
Science Department, 829-7404.
People living in the Wilkes-Barre
area (an save themselves time and
money if they take advantage of
Social Security teleservice, Thomas
Lavelle, Social Security manager in
Wilkeis-Barre, said recently.
By using teleservice, people can
conduct most all of their Social
Securiity business by telephone. The
teleseirvice number can be found in
the telephone directory under
“Social Security Administration.”
Teleservice can be used to:
-Start an application for Social
Security benefits or supplemental
security income payments. The
applications can be started by tele-
phone ‘and completed by mail.
-Apply for Medicare.
-Report a name or address
change.
-Repiort a change in marital
status.
-Report that a person has stopped
or starfed to work or to report other
events | that may affect receipt of
checks.
-Report a lost or stolen check or
delayed payment.
-Report a lost or missing Social
Security or Medicare card.
--Get (help in completing Medicare
claims forms.
-Requiest a copy of a person’s
Social Security earnings record.
-Get help in requesting a review
of the decision made on a Social
Security claim.
-Get the answer to any Social
Security question.
Unless a person’s business is
urgent, it is best to wait until after
the middle of the month to call. This
is because the first part of the
month is the busiest time in the
Social Security office.
Seniors warned
Warnings to senior citizens are
being made by officials of the
Wilkes-Barre Social Security office
to be on guard against insurance
salespersons who claim to be Medi-
care representatives.
Thomas P. Lavelle, district man-
ager, advises elderly residents that
Social Security does not employ
anyone to solicit door to door or call
beneficiaries on the phone to pro-
vide Medicare information.
Social - Security employees who
make home visits carry U.S. gov-
ernment identification with their
photograph on it which should be
dents, before admitting such a
person into their homes, Lavelle
stated.
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