How The Power Of Radio Showed One Man He Could Still Make A Difference

Growing old is a process we can't avoid

Growing old is a process we can't avoid. For most of us it's a slow process which we hope to approach with some dignity, and if, as the years pass, we're not as physically active as we were, new interests take the place of old.

Some take this inevitable slowing in their stride, but for others slowing down brings a feeling of loss, a belief they can no longer make a difference, and it is something they detest, especially when it happens too early.

Mark Greening had more of a problem than most. Mark had worked for the fire department in Birmingham, one of England's largest cities until he was badly injured in a fire. Many surgeries and skin grafts left him with a limp but still able to get around, but he wasn't able to go back to the job he loved and eventually took his wife Deborah and his small children to the USA to start a new life.

Like most immigrants they bought a business and their whole lives were devoted to making it a success. They worked hard and built a broken down pet store into a thriving business, but as the time passed and Mark found that nothing he did would get him back to his previous fitness level, he shrank more and more into himself.

The son and daughter he adored began to avoid him andeven his wife found it difficult to get through. Although Mark worked as hard as ever and loved his family, there was something missing from his life. He no longer felt he could make a difference, and after a lifetime of saving lives owning a pet store just wasn't enough.

But Mark had Deborah, and Deborah worked out the answer.

Mark was no longer able to climb ladders and carry people to safety, but he could sit and he could listen, so Deborah bought a radio. At first she bought a mobile CB radio for their van and a CB base station for their store.

She told Mark she wanted to stay in contact with him while he made deliveries. Soon she found a reason to get one for their home and as she had expected, Mark began to take an interest. He became a member of the local CB community and began to pass useful information about road conditions and traffic jams and slowly his mood began to lift.

He listened to transmissions coming in from time to time from stations far away and so Deborah persuaded him to get a license and move on; he passed his Technicians license and bought a more powerful ham radio transceiver.

Now Mark is part of Ares, the Amateur Radio Emergency Service and a SKYWARN volunteer. He regularly listens for emergency transmissions and passes details to the relevant emergency service as appropriate, and his work with the fire department has taught him just what emergency services need to know most.

Mark is still not 100% fit and like the rest of us he's getting older, but through the power of radio, he can still make a difference.

by:Tom Thors

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