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Anything can happen, CCC student learns | thedailyjournal.com | The Daily Journal
In many ways, Candice Brown is a typical college student. She takes a full class load at Cumberland County College, works part time at her school and is a member of the track team.
But Brown also has overcome obstacles in her life that most students won't ever face: She is legally deaf and blind.
When Brown was 10 years old, she was diagnosed with adenovirus encephalitis and experienced complications. Doctors originally thought Brown simply had caught a cold, but the virus attacked her brain and she fell into a coma.
"I remember being a normal kid. At 10 years old, you feel invincible," she said. "Then one day, you wake up and it's not how it's supposed to be."
Adenoviruses are airborne and mostly infect young children's respiratory systems. On rare occasions, though, the virus travels through the body and attacks the brain, causing it to swell and fill with fluid, impacting sections of the brain in sometimes unpredictable ways.
Brown spent more than three weeks at Children's Specialized Hospital in Mountainside. Rhonda Allen, Brown's mother, spent every day with her. A single mother, Allen left her then-4-year old boys in day care and with family.
"I was at Children's Hospital and I never left," Allen said. "I wanted her home as fast as possible, I figured the stronger I was, the faster she would recover."
When Brown woke up, she was legally deaf and blind. She wore glasses at a young age, and now wears contacts. But a signal in her brain is being interrupted because of the damage, and her contacts only correct her pre-existing vision problem.
When she came out of the coma, Brown said, she didn't know where or who she was, or who her family members were. The once-active and athletic child found herself with a disability.
Before getting sick, Brown participated in sports like baton twirling and karate.
Now, at age 20, her reflexes are slow, and fast-moving objects are hard to focus on.
Allen said she never let her daughter take the easy way out. In an attempt to preserve her daughter's independence, Allen only helps her daughter when absolutely necessary. When Brown returned from the hospital, Allen wouldn't help her daughter up the stairs, hoping she would be able to do it herself.
"I told her I would be right at the bottom in case she needed me," Allen said. "It made her a mentally stronger person. Her will to do things is so strong. She can do anything she wants to do."
Brown is taking her mother's lesson seriously.
Not being able to drive bothers her, but she has found ways to go about her daily life without much help.
"She is a very independent person, I have to remind her that all I do is get her where she needs to go -- she does everything else on her own," Allen said.
Now a student at Cumberland County College, Brown takes a bus to school in the morning.
She takes notes in class by sitting as close as possible to the front and listening the best she can. Sometimes, Brown uses time after class to stay with the professor and go over what she wasn't able to see or hear.
At Vineland High School, Brown watched her school's track team and taught herself how to be a competitive runner. But it wasn't until college that she decided to join a track team. She does not expect to win races -- she runs because she enjoys it.
"It was something that I liked to do, so I did it," Brown said. "The other girls run ahead, but I don't mind because I don't want to hold them back."
Sometimes, Brown said, she forgets about her disability until she finds something she can't do.
"It took a while. Even now, when I race, once I start running I remember that I can't see like everyone else can," she said. "You forget until you go to do it."
The illness that struck her 10 years ago has changed her perspective on life.
"After I got sick, it opened up my eyes," Brown said. "Anything can happen when you least expect it. Life is really short."
How do you define legally deaf?
In many ways, Candice Brown is a typical college student. She takes a full class load at Cumberland County College, works part time at her school and is a member of the track team.
But Brown also has overcome obstacles in her life that most students won't ever face: She is legally deaf and blind.
When Brown was 10 years old, she was diagnosed with adenovirus encephalitis and experienced complications. Doctors originally thought Brown simply had caught a cold, but the virus attacked her brain and she fell into a coma.
"I remember being a normal kid. At 10 years old, you feel invincible," she said. "Then one day, you wake up and it's not how it's supposed to be."
Adenoviruses are airborne and mostly infect young children's respiratory systems. On rare occasions, though, the virus travels through the body and attacks the brain, causing it to swell and fill with fluid, impacting sections of the brain in sometimes unpredictable ways.
Brown spent more than three weeks at Children's Specialized Hospital in Mountainside. Rhonda Allen, Brown's mother, spent every day with her. A single mother, Allen left her then-4-year old boys in day care and with family.
"I was at Children's Hospital and I never left," Allen said. "I wanted her home as fast as possible, I figured the stronger I was, the faster she would recover."
When Brown woke up, she was legally deaf and blind. She wore glasses at a young age, and now wears contacts. But a signal in her brain is being interrupted because of the damage, and her contacts only correct her pre-existing vision problem.
When she came out of the coma, Brown said, she didn't know where or who she was, or who her family members were. The once-active and athletic child found herself with a disability.
Before getting sick, Brown participated in sports like baton twirling and karate.
Now, at age 20, her reflexes are slow, and fast-moving objects are hard to focus on.
Allen said she never let her daughter take the easy way out. In an attempt to preserve her daughter's independence, Allen only helps her daughter when absolutely necessary. When Brown returned from the hospital, Allen wouldn't help her daughter up the stairs, hoping she would be able to do it herself.
"I told her I would be right at the bottom in case she needed me," Allen said. "It made her a mentally stronger person. Her will to do things is so strong. She can do anything she wants to do."
Brown is taking her mother's lesson seriously.
Not being able to drive bothers her, but she has found ways to go about her daily life without much help.
"She is a very independent person, I have to remind her that all I do is get her where she needs to go -- she does everything else on her own," Allen said.
Now a student at Cumberland County College, Brown takes a bus to school in the morning.
She takes notes in class by sitting as close as possible to the front and listening the best she can. Sometimes, Brown uses time after class to stay with the professor and go over what she wasn't able to see or hear.
At Vineland High School, Brown watched her school's track team and taught herself how to be a competitive runner. But it wasn't until college that she decided to join a track team. She does not expect to win races -- she runs because she enjoys it.
"It was something that I liked to do, so I did it," Brown said. "The other girls run ahead, but I don't mind because I don't want to hold them back."
Sometimes, Brown said, she forgets about her disability until she finds something she can't do.
"It took a while. Even now, when I race, once I start running I remember that I can't see like everyone else can," she said. "You forget until you go to do it."
The illness that struck her 10 years ago has changed her perspective on life.
"After I got sick, it opened up my eyes," Brown said. "Anything can happen when you least expect it. Life is really short."
How do you define legally deaf?