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Lynn's Story Lyn Cohoat, 52, looked on the services at Rose Drive Friends Church recently with new eyes. "It was so exciting" said the Placentia woman who had worn glasses since she was 6. "I got to see the choir singing" Thanks to the generosity of a Brea eye surgeon, Cohoat received free eye surgery. Recent years have been rough for the single mother of two sons. After being laid off from work in 1994, Cohoat decided to go back to school to pursue a degree in speech and language pathology… "I've always been interested in the medical field", she said. "Sometimes you want to do something to help other people…" The life changing blow came in May 2000, when…Cohoat was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS). The illness slowed her responses, forcing Cohoat to stop driving… As she continued her classes, Cohoat noticed that her vision was becoming more of a problem…she was loosing her independence. "But I had to drop a sign language class I was taking because I always got to class late and had to sit in the back….I couldn't see the hand movements…I knew I had to do something. But with her schooling and MS treatments, paying for the eye surgery would be difficult. "I wrote him (Dr. Lingua) asking about an easier way to finance Lasik…I felt my eye astigmatism was as much a handicap as my MS." Lingua said he was moved when he read the letter. "My wife has MS as well, so I try to help whenever I can. "Lyn is so brave to keep working and going to school. It's a nice way for her to start the new year". Lingua performed the surgery on Jan 5th, correcting her vision to 20/25. "When I go back to school, I'll be able to see without my glasses". "…I want to thank God and Dr. Lingua. I'll be praying for his wife. " © 2001 |
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