Page , August 7, 2015, Blue Stone Press
Accord man loses sight, inspires
others with his optimism and attitude
Jillian Nadiak
BSP Reporter
On April 19, 2014, Randy Wolfeils life
changed dramatically when a car he was
working on backfired and caused a can
of carburetor spray to explode directly in
front of his face, burning through all six
layers of his eyes and leaving him blinded.
Ive always been a fan of safety, said
Wolfeil. But for some reason the night
that I was working on my truck, I didnt
have safety goggles on and if I did I
wouldnt be blind today.
The explosion surged into his face, traveling into his mouth and throat leaving a
trail of blisters. It was like a shotgun blast
of chemicals, he said. Carburetor spray
can cut through grease. Imagine what it
does to your eyes.
He choked for about a minute, his life
actually flashing before his eyes before
he managed to find his four-wheeler. Unable to see, he rode his four-wheeler up
the road to his mothers house, using the
contrasting feeling of gravel and leaves as
his guide. He managed to find the key to
her house, let himself in, and knocked on
her bedroom door.
All I could see were two white puffed
up clouds, his mother, Margaret, said. No
eyes at all. Like foam balls.
Wolfeil was in shock. He insisted he was
OK because he couldnt feel any pain, but
his mother could see the clear answer.
Upon arriving at Ellenville Hospital, they
were rushed to Westchester Burn Unit,
where Wolfeil would spend the next 18
days receiving treatment. I woke up the
next morning and can just remember not
being able to see a thing, he said. I remember thinking, Oh my God. What did I
do to myself?
Despite his face being burned, Wolfeil
has no major scarring on his skin. His
eyes, however, took the brunt of the explosion.
My kids are my life, said Wolfeil. Its
hard to say without crying, but when my
daughter first saw my eyes she said that
MIKES
I reminded her of a zombie, and she had
nightmares that night. It was really painful
for me to take that in. My boy is older so he
understands. Wolfeil now wears sunglasses like a person with a pimple wears
a mask when his daughter visits him.
Despite this accident and the repercussions it has had on his daily life, Wolfeil
has chosen to uphold his sobriety, which
he has had for three years now. Wolfeils
mantra, I am a power of example, are the
words that keep him uplifted and optimistic. People have told me that if it werent
for me, they would be drinking today, he
said.
Wolfeil holds weekly inspirational
meetings on his own porch, where he
gets together with friends to maintain the
optimism in his life.
Wolfeil dreams of using his experience
to speak publicly about the importance of
safety in the workplace and to continue
inspiring others in their quest for sobriety.
The Association of the Blind has given
Wolfeil many things to help him adjust,
such as a spaghetti pot with a locking lid
and strainer, elbow-high oven mitts, a talking scale and watch, an audio book player,
and a liquid level indicator for his coffee.
Even with all of these things, his voice
recorder is the most helpful.
Wolfeil held the small device in his
hand. I get depressed a lot, he said, his
head bent down. Some days are very
bad. He clicked the play button.
Randy, you are an inspiration to so
many people, his own voice played, slow
and steady. Youve been told so many
times by so many people that you are a
power of example. You need to stay strong,
stay positive and keep yourself on the right
track. You can beat this, Randy. I know
its not easy, but I know you can do it. Just
keep praying and praying and praying and
God will take you places that you never
thought you could ever go. Love yourself
and do the best you can. Amen.
After a brief moment of silence, he lifted
his head. Ill take a day blind any day over
a day being drunk, he said. Thats the
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Randy Wolfeil with his children, Cody, 12, and Sarah, 8.
Gods honest truth.
Wolfeil owes his success to the unending helpfulness of the people in his life.
He even attributed most of his success
in sobriety to one man in particular. If it
werent for Jerry Slabod, I probably would
have drunk again.
Slabod had nothing but good things to
say about Wolfeil. Im 70 years old, and I
havent met a lot of people who I respect
as much as Randy, and that a fact, said
Slabod. If I had a son, hed be my son.
How would anybody handle something
as sudden as this and come out ahead?
Instead of wallowing in self-pity he immediately pushed it aside.
Wolfeil maintains his independence
by walking to his mothers house every
day, where she helps him treat his eyes
with drops six times a day. He enjoys his
favorite television programs and exercises
as much as he can to keep himself strong.
He even maintains his own goatee. At the
end of the day, he walks back to his house
with the help of his cane.
Things are still difficult, however, as his
insurance is starting to refuse payment for
certain surgeries, and he has another for
another one his bottom eyelids coming
up. His sister has set up a fundraiser t.
There is hope of gaining his eyesight
back if he becomes eligible to receive the
Boston Keratoprosthesis (KPro) cornea
surgery, a surgery that involves replacing
his current cornea with an artificial one.
Currently, Wolfeil uses his hands to feel
his childrens faces when he visits them in
order visualize them.
If I get my sight back, the first thing that
I am going to do is go visit my children
because I havent seen their faces visually
in 16 months.
To help Wolfeil, visit www.gofundme.
com/randywolfeil.
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