DESPITE being confined to a wheelchair for the past 13 years, grade four teacher at the Padmore Primary School in West Rural St Andrew, Joy Smith, has managed to defy the odds and still has the fire burning to play her part in nation-building.

The loud applause by students and colleague teachers when Smith was yesterday presented with gifts by her students during the school’s Teacher’s Day activities was an indication of the love for a hard-working, dedicated teacher.

She was in 1994 diagnosed with muscular dystrophy — a condition affecting the muscles and hampering movement while progressively weakening the skeletal muscles, resulting in deficiency of muscle proteins and killing of muscle cells and tissue. She was confined to a wheelchair six years later.

However, her condition has not affected her bright outlook on life and she has maintained her dignity, continuing to teach students at the primary level.

Her illness has resulted in serious adjustments in her family life as her husband of many years has been forced to quit his job and see to her daily needs.

“I am basically the breadwinner. My husband can’t keep a steady job and he has chosen to stay home and take care of me. He has to come to school and take me to the bathroom,” a smiling Smith said.

Smith, who has taught at the Padmore Primary for 19 years, said her most enjoyable moments in the profession are when she sees the joy on the faces of her students when they do well at the Grade Six Achievement Test and matriculate to reputable high schools.

But satisfaction at witnessing her efforts bearing fruit apart, Smith has other simple joys that make her hard life a lot easier.

“It makes me feel good when the children come and greet me in the mornings and help my husband push the wheelchair,” she told the Jamaica Observer.

Smith’s travails began when she was a student at teacher’s college and was diagnosed with goiter.

A proud mother of three, Smith began experiencing motor skills problems and many of her peers and teachers thought she would not have been able to complete the course.

“I fell a lot. I was pregnant with my second child and when I had her I could not walk,” she said.

However, she maintained her focus and completed her teaching course and was even awarded with the Jamaica Teachers’ Association award for perseverance and courage.

However, in spite of her determination to succeed despite the odds, Smith is in need of help.

She is badly in need of a motorised wheelchair which would allow her the independence of moving around without relying too much on others. But with her shoestring teacher’s budget, she cannot afford to purchase one presently.

The cheapest motorised wheelchair sells for about US$1,300.

The pavement at Padmore Primary is very bumpy and the trek up the hill from the Maverley Mountain Main Road is treacherous, at best.

“I fell out of it three times. I had a close call when I fell out of it and nearly fell over the roof. That was a close call. The place can get slippery and my husband fell and hit his knee while taking me to school one morning. It is still stressful,” she said.

Smith is also thinking about applying to the Ministry of Education for early retirement but is apprehensive due to the harsh economic times and fears that a pension may not be able to keep her afloat.

“I have thought about applying, but there are so many bills to pay. I also don’t want it to look like I can’t manage because I can, although it is still stressful, especially the bathroom situation,” she said.

Smith can’t stand to write on the chalkboard and is assisted by fellow teachers and some of her students with that task, but despite all her limitations she is still filled with love and admiration for her pupils.

“My students are like my own children,” she said.