Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, October 20, 1994 TAG: 9412210018
SECTION: NEIGHBORS PAGE: S8 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: KAREN L. DAVIS SPECIAL TO THE ROANOKE TIMES & WORLD-NEWS
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
At first, doctors weren't sure he would recover.
Perdue remembers little about those first days in hospital, except that when he woke up, he couldn't talk or move his head and limbs. His wife, Billie, left her job as a nursing assistant to remain by his bedside.
Doctors diagnosed his illness as Guillain-Barre Syndrome, a rare form of nerve damage, caused by a virus, that results in weakness and paralysis in the limbs. Some cases are fatal; in others, victims experience partial or total recovery in time.
Perdue finally left the hospital in February to check into a rehabilitation center, where it would take him a month to learn to feed himself again. With exercise and therapy, he eventually regained the use of his upper body and limbs, but he remains in a wheelchair, unable to walk.
At the still-young age of 50, he has retired on disability.
He left the rehabilitation center May 18 to go home for the first time in six months. Because he needs a full-time nurse, his wife did not return to her job. With both out of work for so long, Perdue says, he and his wife could not have survived without a little help from his friends.
Friends and co-workers kept his family in food and helped pay household expenses and medical bills during his hospitalization and rehabilitation. They also collected money to pay costs not covered by state disability insurance for a wheelchair and construction of a wheelchair ramp in front of his home.
``I'm so grateful that I didn't have to worry about the light bill and other things. I could concentrate on my recovery,'' Perdue said.
Although he has no idea of the exact figure, Perdue said members of the Roanoke city and county sheriff's and police departments, as well as members of both city and county bar associations, contributed more than $5,000. People from his bowling teams also pitched in, and numerous other friends visited and sent cards or flowers.
Their thoughtfulness and expressions of concern kept his spirits up, Perdue said.
``For me, it was a real morale booster. It's what kept me going and kept me from getting depressed. I don't know what we would have done without them. They're a great bunch of people, and there's no way I can ever repay them for all they've done for me,'' he said.
A 20-year veteran of the Sheriff's Department, Perdue was one of the first blacks hired there. Prior to his job as a deputy, he worked for the Roanoke Times & World-News for several years in maintenance and platemaking.
Perdue said the ordeal has made him appreciate the ordinary things people take for granted - such as walking. He continues to undergo therapy and is hopeful he will recover the use of his legs.
``My dream is to be able to walk again in six to eight months and go back to work at the Sheriff's Department,'' he said.
He tires easily and endures frequent and painful muscle spasms, for which he uses special breathing techniques to control the waves of pain. But doctors have told him the spasms are a good sign, indicating that the damaged nerves are ``coming alive again.''
In the meantime, he's applied for state funds to get a van equipped for the handicapped so he can drive and perhaps resume a part-time position at Sanctuary, a crisis center. He's worked there for 10 years as a relief counselor for juveniles ages 12 to 17.
by CNB