Diving After A Spinal Cord Injury

Blind Veteran Making Waves

Despite dire predictions to the contrary, the list of things he cannot do is much shorter than the list of things he can. What he can‟t do is see. What he can and does in fact do includes but is not limited to adventurous under-takings such as scuba diving, surfing, skiing, fishing, kayaking, bicycling and golfing. “I don‟t set limits on myself. If I find something I can‟t do, I try to find a way to do it,” said Rick Olson of South Holland, Illinois.

A veteran of the Vietnam War era, Rick lost his sight without warning in 2003, due to ischemic optic neuropathy. “It‟s like a stroke in the optic nerve,” he said. What vision remains he said, is a little bit of light perception “which to the average person is nothing but to someone with total darkness, means that I have a lot.”

Rick started scuba diving with Diveheart about a year and a half-ago at the encouragement of Jerry Schutter of the Hines VA Blind Center. “He asked if I’d give it a try and let the other vets know what it’s like. I do a lot of things to motivate the vets so I agreed. I just fell in love with it,” Rick said. “It’s just the freedom of being down there, something that I never thought I’d be able to do.” Since he started diving, Rick has gone on trips with Diveheart to the Florida Keys and to Cozumel.

Rick recruited four fellow-veterans for the trip this past winter to Cozumel.

Rick has also recruited his girlfriend Ericka to scuba dive with him. Theirs is a special romance. Rick met Ericka shortly after losing his sight, while attending a special camp in Dixon, Illinois, sponsored by Chicago Lighthouse. Ericka, who lives in Jacksonville, Illinois, is deaf and blind. “She motivated me. I’m only blind,” Rick said. “She taught me sign language, and when I learned enough, I asked her out and she said, ok.” They have been dating ever since. Ericka also traveled on the Diveheart trip to Cozumel. While diving, Jim Elliott and Rick both wore full face masks so they could talk back and forth. Rick held Ericka’s hand and signed to her. “Jim would tell me what he was showing us and I’d sign it to Ericka,” he said. She loved the experience and Rick said that they will plan future dives together as time and finances allow.

So many textures

“One dove all of his life all over the world. He had never gotten his certification and when he started losing his vision he was sure his diving days were over. I told him I scuba dive. I got him involved and now he’s got his certification. It was a dream he thought would never come true,” said Rick.

Rick has also recruited his girlfriend Ericka to scuba dive with him. Theirs is a special romance. Rick met Ericka shortly after losing his sight, while attending a special camp in Dixon, Illinois, sponsored by Chicago Lighthouse. Ericka, who lives in Jacksonville, Illinois, is deaf and blind. “She motivated me. I‟m only blind,” Rick said. “She taught me sign language, and when I learned enough, I asked her out and she said, „ok‟.” They‟ve been dating ever since. Ericka also traveled on the Diveheart trip to Cozumel. While diving, Jim Elliott and Rick both wore full face masks so they could talk back and forth. Rick held Ericka‟s hand and signed to her. “Jim would tell me what he was showing us and I‟d sign it to Ericka,” he said. She loved the experience and Rick said that they will plan future dives together as time and finances allow.

Scuba diving with Diveheart has “given me and the other challenged individuals a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be accepted by others in spite of his/her disabilities. Jim Elliott and his volunteers, with their compassion for scuba diving, have helped bring a piece of true love and humanity into this world,” said Rick.

Rick‟s a busy man even when he‟s not under water. He is the president of the Hines VA Blind Center Alumni, secretary of Illinois Regional Group of the Blinded Veterans Association, and a volunteer three days weekly at two area VA hospitals. He also participates in the VA National Games.

Rick said that he is only able to do all that he accomplishes because of the presence of another important lady in his life, his guide dog Verna. “If it was not for Verna I would not be the person that I am. She and I have been a great team and companions through the many different things we do. The only thing she lets me do by myself is scuba dive and then she lies like a lady and waits for me to return to the surface. Getting her was the best thing I have done after losing my vision,” Rick said.

Rick advises others that there is in fact life after blindness. “I feel blessed. When I lost my vision I was able to retire early. I‟m blessed to be able to do all the things I‟m doing and to motivate other people to do these things,” he said  “I‟ve always said the sky‟s the limit. That‟s next. I‟m looking for someone to go sky diving with,” Rick said.