Staying connected
PECAN ISLAND - For Bristol Lege the day begins by logging on to the internet to see what is happening in the world, listening to his favorite tunes and communicating with friends and family via e-mail.
About a year ago, long-time friend of Lege, Captain Lance Broussard of the Sheriff’s Department was visiting when he was inspired to try to find a way to help the bedridden Lege better stay in touch with the world.
Lege has Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva (FOP) which means “soft connective tissue that progressively turns to bone.”
FOP affects only one in two million people world-wide and is generated from genetics.
FOP affects mobility because the body’s joints, such as the knees or the elbows, connect the bones and aid in movement. In FOP, extra bone replaces the ligaments (which cover the joints), as well as muscles and tendons (which move the joints). Consequently, movement in areas affected by FOP becomes difficult or impossible.
With Lege’s limited movement, Broussard formulated a way for his friend to be able to manipulate a laptop computer, with a mouse that has a rolling ball on the top that moves the curser.
“I first went to the Sheriff to ask for permission to find others who were willing to donate the needed items.”
Courtesy of Vermilion donated the laptop, and Tony Turnley of Kaplan Tel gave Lege one year of free internet access. The VPSO allows Lege to use their internet hosting.
Bobby Dehart donated his welding capabilities to create an arm and table that holds the computer within Lege’s sight.
“There were so many people who helped me with this. I want to thank all of them, especially ‘Cap (his name for Captain Broussard), and the Sheriff, Mike Couvillon,” Lege said.
Though the FOP affects his body, his mind is not affected and he is constantly growing his mind with the multitude of web pages available.
Some of his favorite sites feature, in his opinion, the best country singers, George Jones, Merle Haggard and Hank Williams Jr. He receives e-mails from the stars through their fanfare sites.
He keeps up with local news by logging onto the Lafayette news channel websites, the Lafayette newspaper site and the Abbeville Meridional website at www.abbevillenow.com, which he was quick to point out is not as pretty as the Lafayette paper’s site -- point taken.
A whole new world has opened up to Lege with his new computer. In the near future he has to undergo a kidney surgery and he says he is not looking forward to it because while he is in the hospital he won’t have his internet connection.
One other activity Lege maintains is as President of the Pecan Island Volunteer Fire Department. He keeps track of the activities with a radio that sits on a shelf above his head. He can and does use the radio if needed, but usually just listens to see which volunteers respond to a call and contacts others by phone.
At age 45, Lege keeps his spirits with the help of technology.