Injured

I have just returned from a trip to the Infirmary. The doctor said I somehow injured my Achilles tendon...

I think I know how it happened. My job as a "mobility guide" for a prisoner who is completely blind and also suffers from serious mental health issues, and who likes to go outdoors a lot in the recreation yard, may have contributed to this. I've also been very tired, too.

The prisoner I'm assigned to is emotionally unstable and his behavior is unpredictable. There are times when I'll be walking alongside him, our arms locked together as I'm required to do, when without warning he would begin to jerk back and forth or sideways in a violent manner. And whenever he does this I'd have to keep a tight hold on him to prevent his possibly injuring himself. However this time his sudden moves caused injury to me.

He's such a sad case. He's been in prison for more than twenty-five years having lost both his eyes in a close range gun battle with an off duty New York City police officer. He was a teenager at the time. Regrettably the officer lost his life in the incident. Now a lifetime has gone by and this prisoner has to be led by the hand wherever he goes. Damage to some of his brain tissue has left him in something of partially vegetative state. I guess the Lord has me watching over him during the hours I'm assigned to him. However, until I'm able to get back on my feet someone else will have to guide him.

D.B.