I am an overcomer
“God was not done with me yet.”
Rob grew up in North Carolina in a gated community around golf-courses. His Dad was a Colonel in the Army. As a child Rob aspired to be in the military like his father. His goal was to go into the Army as a Pathfinder, a very dangerous position. Things did not work out like he planned, and he ended up going into the Navy as a maintenance diver. He served 4 years in the navy and then came back to North Carolina where he went to work on his dad’s farm raising and selling cattle and quarter horses. Rob got married and instantly became a father as she had a son and then they had a daughter together. His life was full. He worked on the farm for 12 years before the accident happened that completely changed the trajectory of his life. He was shot twice in the head with a 12-gauge shotgun over a dispute. That accident left him with a Traumatic Eye Injury. He was completely blind for 3 years. During the 3 years he had multiple eye surgeries trying to save some sight. The doctors were able to help one eye creating a little sight in the lower right corner of his vision. He lost his other eye completely.
After losing his sight he was no longer able to work and hold up his promise to his wife that he would always take care of her. She had to go back to work and care for him now. He was completely depressed, feeling sorry for himself, and struggling with addiction. He began drinking heavy in the military and things got worse after the accident. He became addicted to pain meds and Xanax washing them down with alcohol. His wife stayed trying to make it work for about 5 years and then she left him. She wanted to be taken care of not be the caretaker. He was left all alone, helpless, and hopeless. He was so low at this point he tried to take his life. He put a gun under his chin and pulled the trigger. He woke up and realized he was still alive. He ended up in the mental hospital asking God why. He says, “God was not done with me yet”. Realizing there was no bottom for him when it came to drinking and drugs, he couldn’t see a way out. Rob hit his rock bottom. He couldn’t keep running away from the fact he is blind.
A friend told him about a treatment facility in Georgia. He knew he had to get completely away from the friends and environment he had been living around in North Carolina. This could be the answer he needed to get out of the pit he was in. He was able to come off all the drugs and alcohol, start over and believe his life has a purpose. His counselor in the treatment center urged Rob to come to World Services for the Blind and finally get the life skills and training he needed. While it took him several years to finally accept his blindness instead of drinking it away, now he says, “he would rather literally go through the pain of being shot again than to ever go back to that old lifestyle.”
Although Rob experienced so much tragedy, he could see the light at the end of the tunnel and WSB was his road to get there. He arrived on campus this past February. He came into the Prevocational Life Skills Program. He loves learning the computer and Braille. What he is doing now on the computer he never believed was possible in the short amount of time he has been at WSB. He looks forward to getting up in the morning, starting his day and going to class. He said “I can finally do something with myself.” He doesn’t feel worthless any longer.
Rob met a lovely lady while he has been at WSB. They fell in love and recently got married. They both are finishing up their programs and will reside in Little Rock after they graduate. Some days are tougher than others staying sober, but he says, “I rely on my relationship with God to get me through and I give God all the glory for everything I have now. I am blessed.” WSB has helped him change his perspective, bring hope into his life, give him a purpose and a new direction. While things aren’t perfect and there is still a long road ahead, he holds his head high, trusting in God and following what he learned in the military “Improvise, Adapt and Overcome”. Rob is definitely an overcomer!