Deaf lady hit by train in NY: Mattie Letham

[Miss-Delectable]

Matilda Letham, 54-years-old, was simply know by her friends as "Mattie". She was one of the hearing impaired community’s strongest advocates. She worked with the hearing impaired at St. Lucy's Church in Syracuse. She, too, was deaf and also blind. But Saturday, her life was cut short when she was hit and killed by a CSX train while walking near her home in Liverpool.

Marion Baratta has been friends with Letham for more than twenty years.

“She was a very warmhearted, fun-loving person, a very, very generous person. Always went the extra mile to help someone,” said Marion Baratta.

Members of the hearing impaired community are mourning a woman they say gave her all to the deaf. Saturday, Matilda Letham was tragically killed in a train accident in Liverpool.

Baratta says Letham lost her hearing when she was about 18-years-old and she became legally blind during pregnancy in her twenties. In recent years, some of her sight came back in the form of double vision, but the bright sunlight was still her vision's biggest enemy.

“The sunlight really, really bothered her. I mean it almost blinded her when she was outside. Like yesterday, it was very strong. She loved going to the park and the only way for her to get to the park was to cross the tracks,” Baratta said.

Police say Letham's sight and hearing impaired condition contributed to the accident. They say she did not respond to the train's warning horn.

Now that she's gone, the community she worked for will miss her.

“We're really devastated and we're going to pray for her. We pray for her and her son, Aurora, her son and Aurora, Central New York. And we're very saddened by this entire event,” said Elaine Coleman, Friend of Letham's.

Letham also worked for the Central New York Association for the Hearing Impaired and was a social worker for Aurora of Central New York, which is a nonprofit agency for the handicapped.

 

[Frisky Feline]

Too bad that I haven't met her since I moved here in syraucse three years ago. I just found out about her through newspaper yesterday. I am sure that my friends who live here longer and may know her. that's so tragidy.

 

[MiraxLEP]

Concerning Mattie Letham

Here is the letter that my husband sent to the local media outlets regarding the news released concerning his mother's death:


Hello-

I am writing to name a true Central New York hero. I would first, however like to express my utter displeasure with your reporting.

On Saturday, May 29th, Mattie Letham was killed by a train in Liverpool. She was a pillar of the Deaf community and an advocate for Deaf rights. She was a strong, independent woman who was loved by the community and an inspiration in every sense of the word.

Without looking for facts about this wonderful woman, your reporters, editors and photographers made her look like a helpless cripple. It made me absolutely sick. "She shouldn't have been out alone"? You obviously didn't know Mattie Letham.

Mattie was the most amazing person I have ever known. She overcame going deaf at age 20 and blind at age 23 to have an amazing life. She recovered her sight well enough to read, watch TV, go to the movies and go back to school. She raised a son by herself while becoming deeply involved with the Central New York Deaf community. She was also a member of the Catholic Deaf community and the International Catholic Deaf Association.

She fought tirelessly for the rights of Deaf. She went to OCC and got her degree in Human Services (with honors). She was named Volunteer of the Year in 1989 by the Volunteer Center (check your archives, it's there). She worked as a Social Worker for Aurora of CNY helping countelss Deaf. She helped organize Deaf Awareness Week for many years.

When Carousel Center was opening and Congel proclaimed it would be the mall for everyone, Mattie walked in the hiring office and said, "What are you going to do for Deaf people?". She was given a job on the spot and had worked there since it opened.

She walked to work, walked to the store, walked in the park, traveled, caught the Centro, went to the State Fair at least 5 times a year, shoveled her way out of many Syracuse winters, loved the Orange, danced, laughed, loved, cried and gave the shirt off her back to anyone who needed her help. And I can guarantee you she never appreciated being called stupid or less than.

A part of your community is mourning the loss of a truly great and humble woman. A hero. Next time, take a look at the real story and the real facts before you paint a stain on another magnificent human being.

I am Mattie's son, but many, many people around the Syracuse area will tell you the same story. Mattie was an angel, a gift from above with a heart as big as the Carrier Dome. Tell that on your newscast.

Tommy Letham

In her own words:

Am I courageous? I laugh at that thought! I stand up to speak to a group and my knees shake. Is that courage? When I see inequality my stomach tightens and I want to look away. Is that courage? I don't know about the kind of courage it takes to battle blazes and save trapped miners. I don't jump out of airplanes or climb mountains.

Most people believe that courage is ‘having no fear.’ But I believe courage is about accepting our fear, facing the fear we feel and making the best choice we can in difficult situations.

When we look at courage that way, we all have opportunities to be courageous during our lifetime, even on a daily basis. Yes, my knees shake when I have to give a presentation, but I know that by telling others about aspects of the Deaf Community, I may bring in more funding for Deaf Services so I make the choice to face the fear I feel and speak anyway. Yes, my hands feel sweaty and my tummy tightens but I pick up the phone and make a call and advocate for a change in the policy of a company to reduce an inequality.

When we do these things over and over, they become easier. It was not that I had no fear the first time I talked to a group – it was that I faced that fear and made a choice to speak anyway. That is what courage is about.

Telling a friend you aren't going to use drugs takes courage. Filing a complaint against a doctor who refuses to provide an interpreter takes courage. Applying to college so you can leave a part-time job you hate takes courage. Even giving a hug to someone who needs one is courage.

By looking at courage in that way, we see all the ways we are already courageous. Courage is hard work, though. I sometimes wonder why I even bother when I could simply go off and spend time enjoying myself with friends – that would be so much easier, and more fun. The truth is, sometimes I DO that.

But the other truth is:
Things will not change until enough of us have the courage to face our feelings of fear and take positive action where needed. Our own lives will not change until we have the courage that comes from facing our fears and moving through the fears to better jobs, better relationships and happier lives.

If I can find the courage to speak to groups, make changes in my life and advocate, with my shaking knees, sweaty hands and my tummy feeling sick, so can you! When you try, you, too, will be able to know what this kind of courage really is. Seeing things change, you will understand what courage feels like.

Courage is about facing our fears, trying anyway, and making the best decision we can in difficult situations.

Facing Our Fears
By Mattie Letham
Case Manager/Counselor
Aurora of Central NY Deaf Services
September 2002

PS to WSTM: When I went to my mother's house the day of her death, I was overwhelmed. I stepped outside for some fresh air and to get my bearings. When I did so, one of your reporters and photographer were outside my mother's door, shooting a cut-away of the house. The reporter proceeded to ask me (a man who was obviously visibly upset) if I knew the woman who was killed. I said no comment and he kept pressing. My friend then had to repeat the no comment response. Oh that didn't stop him, he pressed for a third time before he got the message. Obviously they don't teach media ethics anymore. DO THE RIGHT THING!