Several months ago, my husband and I signed up for a mobile app called Be My Eyes. Through the app, people who are blind or visually impaired can contact an online community of sighted volunteers who, through photos or videos, can help them to recognize objects and manage everyday situations via live chat.
Examples of real-life application range from helping someone choose the correct color sweater from their closet to confirming the expiration date on the milk at the grocery store.
The online community of volunteers is huge, so months have passed without any contact from the organization. But one Saturday morning a couple of weeks ago, we finally got an alert that someone was trying to contact us for help.
I answered the call, and it was a middle-aged woman asking me to help “keep watch” for her grocery delivery driver. Simple enough. But while we were on the phone, she said that her delivery app was alerting her that it could be anywhere from 15 to 20 minutes. So to pass the time, I struck up a conversation.
She was calling from the St. Louis area, where she lives in a hotel that provides long-term housing for adults with special needs. Her previous living arrangement had been a nightmare when her roommate (who was set up for her by a social services organization) turned out to have some serious issues. (“You ever seen the movie ‘Single White Female?’ It was worse than that,” she told me.)
I asked about her hotel, as that sounded interesting. She doesn’t have a kitchen, so no access to an oven or stove. (“How do you cook your meals?” I asked, and she told me she has a microwave and got permission to bring in a hot plate.) There’s no ice machine, so she has to buy bagged ice and keep it in a cooler in her room. I immediately had more questions, but the real red flag began to wave when she said the hotel doesn’t offer housekeeping, so she’s responsible for doing her own laundry and cleaning the room herself.
It was at about that time she switched on her phone’s video camera and I saw firsthand her living conditions. The first thing I noticed was that she was wheelchair bound. (That plus being visually impaired, how was she managing her laundry in the building?) The second thing I noticed was the state of her hotel room.
There were boxes of household items stacked all over the main bedroom (how was she navigating a wheelchair through there?). The bathtub was, quite literally, full of trash (where was she bathing?). I asked if she had any family in the area – she said they’d had a big falling out a few years back, so she had moved away.
Eventually, she let me know the grocery delivery driver was on his way to the door. She held up her phone in such a way that I could barely see the teenager as he walked into frame, but I was able to identify his company name tag that showed he was indeed who she was expecting. The whole exchange took less than five seconds, during which my caller not once asked me to confirm the driver’s identity.
That’s when I realized she hadn’t used Be My Eyes to identify her delivery driver. She had used the app because she was lonely and wanted someone to talk to for 20 minutes.
In that moment, I was sad for this lady. I don’t know all of the circumstances that have led her to this point in her life. But I do know that I take for granted the fact that if I was ever in need, I have a lengthy list of friends and family I could call before having to resort to a pool of strangers.
It made me think about the people here in our own town who have nobody nearby they can rely on. At the newspaper office, we keep a fire/EMS scanner on to make note of newsworthy emergencies. I’m always amazed at how many calls are requests for non-medical things that anyone could help with (like a lift assist, for example). I always wonder, is there no one else – a family member, friend or neighbor – they could call for help?
It’s a good reminder about the importance of connectivity and engagement, especially in a small town like Whitesboro. There are countless reasons why someone may no longer be in touch with friends or family, but there’s no reason we can’t be good neighbors.
We have a philosophy in our house: “If you can be the hero, be the hero.”
It’s usually something small -- changing someone’s flat tire; picking up someone’s mail; loaning a costume for a school play. If someone is in a bind, we help where we can. Because for the person on the other end, those small acts can help save the day.
But to be the hero, you must first connect with the people around you. Reach out to the neighbors who have no local family. Check in with the single mom down the street who’s juggling everything on her own. Schedule a weekly visit with the elderly neighbor living alone.
Be My Eyes is one small way you can “be the hero.” But there are ways we can help each other on a local level. Look out for the people around you and help take care of those that could use a hand.
Even the smallest act of kindness can have a great impact.
I don’t know what will happen to the woman who called me through Be My Eyes, but I do know that I can do more to help others like her, right here in our own back yard.
We can all do more to be the hero.
Source: Freepik.com