|
Home > Support
Us > Spirit of
Courage > Honorees
Support Us SSJ Spirit of Courage Honoree
 crop.jpg) Joseph Turano
A Competitor Grounded in Hope
As a high school student, when asked to identify his passion, Joe Turano would light up at the mention of athletics; however, his smile and twinkling eyes would dim just a bit when the focus turned to academics. Even today, Joe acknowledges that he simply “hated” school. Still, attesting to his promise as a student-athlete, Joe was awarded a full athletic scholarship to Kutztown College in southern Pennsylvania; however, he never really maximized this opportunity.
The Challenges Begin
Instead, Joe tried out for the Harrisburg Senators, a Double A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. Locally, he found love and began a serious relationship, worked construction, and partied with his buddies. To fulfill his competitive nature, Joe turned to local venues, to slow pitch and Glenwood league baseball; at one of these games, he recalls feeling feverish, confused, and then alarmed: only 23, suddenly, he found himself unable to read the scoreboard.
A local ophthalmologist diagnosed Joe’s condition as optic neuritis, an inflammation of the optic nerve in the back of the eye. Such irritation, which actually blocks the transmission of light and images to the brain, was the cause of Joe’s sudden, frightening, and bewildering blindness. Because this condition typically affects women, this diagnosis was not anticipated. The finding triggered even more concern, however, when Joe and his family learned that statistics from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society indicate that approximately 50% of people diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis experience an episode of optic neuritis before they become aware of the presence of MS. Unfortunately, though the odds were balanced giving Joe and his family hope, further evaluation indicated that he had, indeed, contracted Primary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis.
Joe, who faces life with the simple perspective that “It is what it is,” moved on and moved forward, facing his challenges, acknowledging his heartache, celebrating his joys and achievements, but refusing to wallow in self-pity. He fathered a son, and this young man – now 15 – became Joe’s ultimate inspiration for striving to become the best role model he could be. Thus, after turning away from the opportunities at Kutztown, Joe enrolled in the criminal justice program at Edinboro University of PA. He continued studies off and on for a few years, but never attained his degree. Still, with his background in criminal justice, love of sports, quick wit, and compassion, Joe has found his niche in a variety of service capacities. He served as a full-time juvenile counselor at Perseus House and worked part-time at Harborcreek Homes before beginning employment at Stairways Behavioral Health in 2008. Joining the facility’s maintenance crew, Joe worked at 22 different sites, providing quick, courteous, and capable service to 400 employees, always sharing a warm smile and a friendly greeting. Cheerfully serving the needs of staff and clients, Joe regarded no job too big or too small.
As time progressed, however, so did the effects of MS: Joe walked with more difficulty and often fell in the parking lot at Stairways. He invested in workout equipment, but learned that with his disease, physical exercise was fruitless: his muscles remained unresponsive. Clearly, his medications were no longer controlling the effects of his disease. Fearing for his safety, some of the employees actually hid ladders Joe had previously climbed with abandon. Having incomprehensibly contracted Primary Progressive MS at 23, a form of the disease which most commonly appears in patients over 40 and recognized as an initial symptom of MS among only 15-20% of all diagnoses, Joe could no longer perform the physically demanding yet rewarding tasks of a job he loved.
Fighting Back
Though unprepared to admit defeat, in a tearfully composed text, Joe was finally forced to acknowledge that he “couldn’t do the job anymore.” Still, he was not ready to give up his fight, so he began exploring new treatments for MS. Joe learned about successes in experimental stem cell treatment in Germany which sought to stop the progression of the disease by interrupting the immune system’s attack against one’s own nervous system. Joe arranged to take part in this program in 2010, longing for success. Colleagues at Stairways organized a 50-50; friends and family chipped in. Joe ventured to Europe fortified with the prayers, good wishes, and funds raised by a community of supporters all declaring “We’re here for you!” Arriving in Germany, Joe visited the great Cathedral at Cologne, praying that with God’s graces, the procedure would be successful.
After returning to the states, he waited, wondered, watched, hoped, and prayed that the treatment would begin to improve his muscular control and mobility. As months, passed, however, Joe recognized that the procedures had done nothing to alleviate his condition or to halt the progression of his disease. Stoic, he echoed his life’s mantra, “It is what it is,” moving on and ahead, a contributing, confident, friendly, and dynamic member of his social and family circles. Joe never complained; he refused to let disappointment or despair darken his hours. Although he would like to return to Germany for further treatment, costs are prohibitive. Joe continues treatment in Pittsburgh, never complaining, even though his therapies have proven unproductive.
Describing himself as “handi-capable,” just before Christmas 2011, Joe contacted the operations manager of Opportunities Unlimited of Erie, a designated employment network whose mission is to “create opportunities for people with disabilities and to support them in achieving their goals.” His timing was perfect as OU, in the process of expanding its transportation services, was looking for drivers. Hired, Joe exclaimed he’d received “the best Christmas present ever!” He held this position for approximately six months, and then, was approached about a new job with OU. In this promotion, Joe, as an assistant manager, would provide support to the manager of Contracts and Employment Opportunities: he would be directly responsible for two of the four businesses run by Opportunities Unlimited, transportation services and the Coffee Café. Working in his new role at OU, Joe has continued to face new challenges that have not only maximized his outgoing personality and can-do attitude, but have also expanded his supervisory and management skills.
A Revised Game Plan
As an individual with an SSA defined “Ticket to Work,” Joe has met every milestone set by the Social Security Administration; he hopes eventually to return to work full-time and to decrease his dependence on Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI). Working from his electric wheelchair, Joe supervises six workers in transportation services and three Coffee Café employees, teaching essential job skills, mentoring them all, and involving them in the ventures’ decision making process. He shows great compassion and patience with co-workers, clients, and customers, celebrating each person’s gifts and recognizing that each – regardless of disability – is a unique and important individual striving to be a productive and self-sufficient citizen, though often beset with real and formidable life challenges.
Under Joe’s leadership, he and his workers have turned Coffee Café – previously an enterprise running in the red – into a prospering business! Guided by a marketing survey, Joe expanded the coffee shop’s menu to include specialty coffees, teas, juices, snacks, bagels, doughnuts, and an assortment of prepared lunches. Again, Joe’s actions do speak louder than words: by recognizing each person’s worth, facing challenges with acceptance yet hope, and choosing work and independence rather than handouts from government programs, Joe inspires everyone he encounters: workers, patrons, friends, and family, especially, his son.
Gifts and Goals in the Game of Life
Joseph Turano clearly chooses to look for the sunshine behind the clouds, yet he grounds his life and hopes in reality. He feels blessed to have a very supportive family. His parents, in fact, are currently renovating their home to include an independent ground floor addition for him and his gentle giant, Rex, a loving and obedient Rottweiler. Certainly, a one-floor dwelling will be much more accessible and comfortable for Joe and his furry buddy than their present two floor residence. Most significantly, his son continues to motivate and inspire Joe to be a positive role model. Joe proudly declares that his son helps him a lot and that this young man, a dedicated and talented athlete, is following in his own footsteps as a member of his school’s baseball and football teams. Naturally, Joe attends as many games as he can, yet he acknowledges that “All I ever wanted to do was coach my son’s baseball team.” Still, despite such disappointment – one of many – Joe manages to remain positive, always focusing on giving his son, his family, his friends, his supervisors, workers, and his customers, his best.
Grateful for the gifts he’s received in this game of life, Joe contends that “God gives us a hand to play. We pray to make good choices. Life is all in the choices made and in how we play our hand.” Clearly, Joe has faced multiple and complex challenges, yet he has never chosen to give in or give up. He continues to be a passionate competitor, seeking alternative “moves” and trying every new and promising strategy available. Moreover, Joe never loses hope. He must be honored as a truly model competitor, a man who displays faith, hope, and love in the greatest gift – yet sometimes the greatest challenge humans face – the game of life. Truly, Joseph Turano is a man of courage.
A Competitor Grounded in Hope
As a high school student, when asked to identify his passion, Joe Turano would light up at the mention of athletics; however, his smile and twinkling eyes would dim just a bit when the focus turned to academics. Even today, Joe acknowledges that he simply “hated” school. Still, attesting to his promise as a student-athlete, Joe was awarded a full athletic scholarship to Kutztown College in southern Pennsylvania; however, he never really maximized this opportunity.
The Challenges Begin
Instead, Joe tried out for the Harrisburg Senators, a Double A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. Locally, he found love and began a serious relationship, worked construction, and partied with his buddies. To fulfill his competitive nature, Joe turned to local venues, to slow pitch and Glenwood league baseball; at one of these games, he recalls feeling feverish, confused, and then alarmed: only 23, suddenly, he found himself unable to read the scoreboard.
A local ophthalmologist diagnosed Joe’s condition as optic neuritis, an inflammation of the optic nerve in the back of the eye. Such irritation, which actually blocks the transmission of light and images to the brain, was the cause of Joe’s sudden, frightening, and bewildering blindness. Because this condition typically affects women, this diagnosis was not anticipated. The finding triggered even more concern, however, when Joe and his family learned that statistics from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society indicate that approximately 50% of people diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis experience an episode of optic neuritis before they become aware of the presence of MS. Unfortunately, though the odds were balanced giving Joe and his family hope, further evaluation indicated that he had, indeed, contracted Primary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis.
Joe, who faces life with the simple perspective that “It is what it is,” moved on and moved forward, facing his challenges, acknowledging his heartache, celebrating his joys and achievements, but refusing to wallow in self-pity. He fathered a son, and this young man – now 15 – became Joe’s ultimate inspiration for striving to become the best role model he could be. Thus, after turning away from the opportunities at Kutztown, Joe enrolled in the criminal justice program at Edinboro University of PA. He continued studies off and on for a few years, but never attained his degree. Still, with his background in criminal justice, love of sports, quick wit, and compassion, Joe has found his niche in a variety of service capacities. He served as a full-time juvenile counselor at Perseus House and worked part-time at Harborcreek Homes before beginning employment at Stairways Behavioral Health in 2008. Joining the facility’s maintenance crew, Joe worked at 22 different sites, providing quick, courteous, and capable service to 400 employees, always sharing a warm smile and a friendly greeting. Cheerfully serving the needs of staff and clients, Joe regarded no job too big or too small.
As time progressed, however, so did the effects of MS: Joe walked with more difficulty and often fell in the parking lot at Stairways. He invested in workout equipment, but learned that with his disease, physical exercise was fruitless: his muscles remained unresponsive. Clearly, his medications were no longer controlling the effects of his disease. Fearing for his safety, some of the employees actually hid ladders Joe had previously climbed with abandon. Having incomprehensibly contracted Primary Progressive MS at 23, a form of the disease which most commonly appears in patients over 40 and recognized as an initial symptom of MS among only 15-20% of all diagnoses, Joe could no longer perform the physically demanding yet rewarding tasks of a job he loved.
Fighting Back
Though unprepared to admit defeat, in a tearfully composed text, Joe was finally forced to acknowledge that he “couldn’t do the job anymore.” Still, he was not ready to give up his fight, so he began exploring new treatments for MS. Joe learned about successes in experimental stem cell treatment in Germany which sought to stop the progression of the disease by interrupting the immune system’s attack against one’s own nervous system. Joe arranged to take part in this program in 2010, longing for success. Colleagues at Stairways organized a 50-50; friends and family chipped in. Joe ventured to Europe fortified with the prayers, good wishes, and funds raised by a community of supporters all declaring “We’re here for you!” Arriving in Germany, Joe visited the great Cathedral at Cologne, praying that with God’s graces, the procedure would be successful.
After returning to the states, he waited, wondered, watched, hoped, and prayed that the treatment would begin to improve his muscular control and mobility. As months, passed, however, Joe recognized that the procedures had done nothing to alleviate his condition or to halt the progression of his disease. Stoic, he echoed his life’s mantra, “It is what it is,” moving on and ahead, a contributing, confident, friendly, and dynamic member of his social and family circles. Joe never complained; he refused to let disappointment or despair darken his hours. Although he would like to return to Germany for further treatment, costs are prohibitive. Joe continues treatment in Pittsburgh, never complaining, even though his therapies have proven unproductive.
Describing himself as “handi-capable,” just before Christmas 2011, Joe contacted the operations manager of Opportunities Unlimited of Erie, a designated employment network whose mission is to “create opportunities for people with disabilities and to support them in achieving their goals.” His timing was perfect as OU, in the process of expanding its transportation services, was looking for drivers. Hired, Joe exclaimed he’d received “the best Christmas present ever!” He held this position for approximately six months, and then, was approached about a new job with OU. In this promotion, Joe, as an assistant manager, would provide support to the manager of Contracts and Employment Opportunities: he would be directly responsible for two of the four businesses run by Opportunities Unlimited, transportation services and the Coffee Café. Working in his new role at OU, Joe has continued to face new challenges that have not only maximized his outgoing personality and can-do attitude, but have also expanded his supervisory and management skills.
A Revised Game Plan
As an individual with an SSA defined “Ticket to Work,” Joe has met every milestone set by the Social Security Administration; he hopes eventually to return to work full-time and to decrease his dependence on Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI). Working from his electric wheelchair, Joe supervises six workers in transportation services and three Coffee Café employees, teaching essential job skills, mentoring them all, and involving them in the ventures’ decision making process. He shows great compassion and patience with co-workers, clients, and customers, celebrating each person’s gifts and recognizing that each – regardless of disability – is a unique and important individual striving to be a productive and self-sufficient citizen, though often beset with real and formidable life challenges.
Under Joe’s leadership, he and his workers have turned Coffee Café – previously an enterprise running in the red – into a prospering business! Guided by a marketing survey, Joe expanded the coffee shop’s menu to include specialty coffees, teas, juices, snacks, bagels, doughnuts, and an assortment of prepared lunches. Again, Joe’s actions do speak louder than words: by recognizing each person’s worth, facing challenges with acceptance yet hope, and choosing work and independence rather than handouts from government programs, Joe inspires everyone he encounters: workers, patrons, friends, and family, especially, his son.
Gifts and Goals in the Game of Life
Joseph Turano clearly chooses to look for the sunshine behind the clouds, yet he grounds his life and hopes in reality. He feels blessed to have a very supportive family. His parents, in fact, are currently renovating their home to include an independent ground floor addition for him and his gentle giant, Rex, a loving and obedient Rottweiler. Certainly, a one-floor dwelling will be much more accessible and comfortable for Joe and his furry buddy than their present two floor residence. Most significantly, his son continues to motivate and inspire Joe to be a positive role model. Joe proudly declares that his son helps him a lot and that this young man, a dedicated and talented athlete, is following in his own footsteps as a member of his school’s baseball and football teams. Naturally, Joe attends as many games as he can, yet he acknowledges that “All I ever wanted to do was coach my son’s baseball team.” Still, despite such disappointment – one of many – Joe manages to remain positive, always focusing on giving his son, his family, his friends, his supervisors, workers, and his customers, his best.
Grateful for the gifts he’s received in this game of life, Joe contends that “God gives us a hand to play. We pray to make good choices. Life is all in the choices made and in how we play our hand.” Clearly, Joe has faced multiple and complex challenges, yet he has never chosen to give in or give up. He continues to be a passionate competitor, seeking alternative “moves” and trying every new and promising strategy available. Moreover, Joe never loses hope. He must be honored as a truly model competitor, a man who displays faith, hope, and love in the greatest gift – yet sometimes the greatest challenge humans face – the game of life. Truly, Joseph Turano is a man of courage.
|
|
RSS
BLOG
