'We take it one day at a time'

Dennis and Terri Dunmire lean on each other after a sudden loss of sight sends them tumbling into debt and on the brink of eviction

By Christina Lent

The Beaverton Valley Times, Sep 24, 2009, Updated Oct 30, 2009

Jonathan House / Beaverton Valley Times

NEW CHALLENGES – Dennis Dunmire spent his first days with a walking cane practicing on the stairs outside his Aloha apartment. He also has made several trips to the doctor’s office to have his eye checked after suffering a partially-detached retina.

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Things are starting to turn around for Dennis and Terri Dunmire who have been scraping by on no income for the past four months.

After relying on social service agencies such as St. Vincent de Paul, Community Action and area churches for emergency food boxes, rent and utility assistance, heaps of paperwork they toiled over to qualify for food stamps, social security, disability and caregiver status have wound their way through the system.

But in the months it took to gain approval, the Aloha residents have been forced to survive one day at a time, uncertain of how long they could avoid eviction, how their mounting credit card and medical bills would be paid or when they would see another paycheck.

Bills went unpaid. Late fees accrued. Calls from creditors went unanswered. Dennis’ car was repossessed.

Meanwhile, the Dunmires were adjusting to the loss of Dennis’ sight, managing his pain following eye surgery, making regular doctor’s visits, focusing on his long recovery and figuring out how to pay for costly prescriptions.

“I didn’t know who to call,” Terri said. “I’ve never been in this situation before.

“You feel very, very helpless. There are times when you look at the whole picture and it’s really scary.”

Tough blows

The divorced couple became roommates after several years of being estranged when both were dealt tough blows.

Terri was laid off in May 2008 from her job with a nonprofit optical shop in Eugene. That same month, restrictions were put on Dennis’ driver’s license, which prohibited him from driving at night, after he did not pass his annual vision acuity test.

When Dennis found out Terri had no place to live or a steady income, he made her an offer she couldn’t pass up. He would move from a one-bedroom apartment to a two-bedroom so that she could move in. In return, she agreed to drive him to his second job so that his income would not be affected.

Dennis was born with an eye infection, which led to his right eye being removed. Over the years, the muscles and vision in his left eye were strong enough for him to drive and work without complications until this past May 15 when his retina partially detached. He went to a specialist and underwent emergency surgery in order to save his eye.

“During the surgery, doctors found more wrong than they anticipated,” Terri said. “There were some complications and the surgery didn’t go well.

“They told me that he was going to lose his sight.”

There is a chance that if his eye heals with enough vision, Dennis could have a corrective lens implanted so that he will be able to see and read, but time will tell.

Because Dennis could not care for himself during his recovery, Terri put her work as an independent marketing consultant on hold.

“When he was first out of the hospital, he needed to take pain medication every six hours and eye drops every four hours,” Terri recalled. “He also kept having problems. We went to the doctor every day for the first 10 days.”

Since then, neither has been able to earn an income, she said, because although “he’s doing better, he is not stable.”

“This happened in May when we were already behind on some stuff,” Terri added. “When the income stopped totally, I can’t even imagine what we owe now.

“We haven’t touched a credit card since he got hurt other than to pay for prescriptions.”

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