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Life, Through Rose-Colored Glasses

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By DIANE LOEBEL, The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 11, 2008

WHO: Pamela Lupinski

CLAIM TO FAME: She overcame vision problems and other challenges after finding help from the right source.

ACCOLADES: "Pamela has come such a tremendous way, has done such a fantastic job that I can't begin to say how proud I am of her," vocational rehabilitation counselor Cherie Klamm said.

LUPINSKI'S STORY: She took care of her mother for many years and was left frightened and alone when her mother died.

Lupinski, 60, drove mainly the back roads because cataracts and floaters made seeing difficult.

Seeking help, she contacted a local Lions Club, which directed her to the Lighthouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired. Officials there alerted the Florida Division of Vocational Rehabilitation about Lupinski's dilemma.

Klamm took Lupinski on as a client and St. Luke's Cataract and Laser Institute took care of her cataracts.

"What a difference that made," Lupinski said. "I didn't realize how dirty everything was because my eyesight was so bad."

Lights bothered her a lot and Klamm suggested looking into different shades of tinted eyeglasses.

"Pam's now seeing things through rose-colored glasses," Klamm quipped.
Guidance and counseling were the next steps toward a better future for Lupinski. She and Klamm became close friends and talked about what it would be like to go back into the working world.

"We were a support for her, somebody in her corner, and she felt that support and wanted to make us proud," Klamm said.

Knowing someone was there to listen was important to Lupinski and it encouraged her to keep going.

"Cherie's been great. She's been there for me through the good, bad, tears and smiles," Lupinski said.

She heard about several openings at Wal-Mart on State Road 54 and decided to pursue a job there. Lupinski hadn't worked outside the home in 27 years and the prospect of a job interview was unnerving. Backed by 25-year-old recommendation letters, she set off to see store manager Eric Hirons, whom she had spoken to many times as a customer.

"Pam loves to talk. And she used her verbal abilities to talk herself into a job at Wal-Mart," Klamm said.

Lupinski started part time last June and became a full-time employee after the holidays. Her supervisor in housewares, Barbara Morgan, gives her a glowing review.

"Pam is an awesome worker, a steamroller. She does lifting, is up and down ladders, straightens and keeps the department in order. She follows the rules and is bubbly to everybody."
Hirons describes Lupinski as "incredible." "She's a go-getter, very energetic, a great talker who gets along well with the customers," he said. "Coming in for the job when she did was perfect timing."

Lupinski said she's shed 80 pounds since being hired. "It's like Wal-Med for me. I get a lot of exercise at work."

HER PARTING QUOTE: "Cherie and the others at vocational rehab really get you going by providing you with what you need. Wal-Mart is a great place to work. They care about you. Barbara is a great person. We work well together."

Want to suggest an Everyday Hero? Call Diane Loebel, (727) 815-1081, write her at The Tampa Tribune, 6214 U.S. 19, New Port Richey FL 34652, or e-mail dloebel@tampatrib.com

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