Season to Share: Man blinded by glaucoma prays for an independent life for himself and his wife
Life for DeGraff Jean has not been the same since 2010.
While at work for the Haitian Soccer Federation one January afternoon, DeGraff was in the process of gathering uniforms, cleats and other equipment for the women's soccer team when the 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck near Port-au-Prince. The two-story office building collapsed around him. He called out to Jesus. He wasn’t rescued until the next day, when a crew broke through the ceiling and pulled him out. Some others in the building didn't make it.
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Having lost his home, he spent weeks sleeping on the street underneath a tree. His wife, who at the time had been visiting family in the U.S., didn't know if DeGraff was one of the 220,000 people who had died in the destruction. A month passed before he finally heard from her, and he boarded a plane in the Dominican Republic to join her.
DeGraff, 62, and his wife Guirlene, 59, have been together for almost 40 years. They met at school in a small oceanside town called Saint-Marc. He trained to be a plumber, and she was a seamstress.
Things were normal. Until they weren’t.
For the past 14 years, Guirlene has been battling an unexplained illness that has meant countless hospital visits over the years and today leaves her reliant on a wheelchair. Her husband is her caretaker, helping her shower, getting her to appointments and them both to church.
She's become his caretaker, too.
After the earthquake, DeGraff and Guirlene bounced around Georgia and Florida, depending on their families for shelter.
At one point, DeGraff wanted to return to Haiti, back to the work and the life he knew, but Guirlene didn’t want him to leave. She reminded him that their home was destroyed and Haiti was experiencing an outbreak of cholera. Although he had work in Haiti, they were just "surviving," he said.
He eventually was granted Temporary Protected Status, and the money he earned at Joe’s Crab Shack, at Disney World, at Walmart were better than back home.
But more hurdles were ahead. In 2014, an eye exam revealed he had glaucoma, a disease that damages the optic nerves and if left untreated can lead to blindness. DeGraff didn't have insurance and couldn't keep up with exams. The sight in his right eye could not be repaired, and seven years after his diagnosis, he had two surgeries in his left eye that failed to make improvements, he said.
Now, Guirlene is DeGraff’s eyes, directing him where to go, and he is her legs, guiding her in her wheelchair.
“It was hard,” DeGraff said in Haitian Creole, but his wife always encouraged him with prayer.
Their faith keeps them going.
Since relocating to the U.S. more than a decade ago, DeGraff and his wife have never had a place to call their own.
The couple ended up in West Palm Beach in 2019, expecting a short stay with Guirlene’s sister and niece in their not-even 1,000-square-foot, two-bedroom apartment.
A few months turned into three years, as the couple has not been able to find work.They have nowhere else to go.
The couple’s mobility was tested recently when the elevator at the apartment complex was out of service for four months. If DeGraff wanted to go anywhere with his wife, he had to carry her and her wheelchair down a flight of stairs, and back up returning home.
“The situation we are in is difficult for us,” DeGraff said. “We are both sick. We cannot work.”
DeGraff has taken several classes at Lighthouse for the Blind of the Palm Beaches, not only to learn how to adjust to life without sight, but in hopes of improving his chances of getting a job. He is learning Braille, independent living skills, orientation and mobility as well as assistive technology. He does the grocery shopping, with the help of Palm Tran Connection bus and friendly store employees.
The couple is immensely grateful for the support that family, friends and their church have provided through food, clothing and shelter.
But living independently would make the couple kontan, happy, DeGraff said, giving them one less thing to worry about and bringing a sense of normalcy. He hopes to find somewhere accessible for his wife, some place that would make them feel safe, a place that they could call home – their home.
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DeGraff Jean’s Wish
DeGraff Jean wants more than anything independence for himself and his wife. To achieve this, he is seeking support for housing with one bedroom that is either on the first floor or wheelchair accessible. As DeGraff continues to improve his chances of getting a job, the couple needs help covering the basics including utilities, furniture, toiletries and other household items like sheets, towels and dishware. Additionally, the couple will need help covering medication costs. They would welcome help with transportation through Palm Tran Connection tickets. Finally, DeGraff could use a laptop and smartphone with accessibility capability and a phone plan for one year.
Nominated by: Lighthouse for the Blind of the Palm Beaches
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Charity: Man blinded by glaucoma, needs help to live independent
