It's our turn....

It's our turn to be proud of the teacher instead of the teacher being proud of us. My 8th grad biology teacher has had a rough 18 months, but has done an amazing job being positive and coping with everything, and I couldn't be more proud...

Kennewick man to run miracle mile
By Sara Schilling, Herald staff writer

One of Tony Greager's doctors once called him the "unluckiest" man he'd ever met.

The 50-year-old teacher from Kennewick fell ill during a family vacation in Florida in 2007 and has spent the last 18 months fighting for his life.

He endured paralysis, open heart surgery and months of uncertainty.

Just weeks ago, he was using a cane to get around. Before that, he needed a walker and a wheelchair.

But today, he plans to walk a mile on his own during the annual Cable Bridge Run.

It's a triumph that has him feeling pretty, well, lucky.

"I dreamed about being in the position where I could talk about this in the past (tense)," he said.

He's so close now.

Greager was on a family vacation at Disney World with his wife, Kaye, and son Kevin, 14, when he noticed numbness in his toes, then his hands.

That was June 2007. He went to the hospital and soon couldn't move his arms or legs. He eventually was airlifted back to Washington.

Months in Seattle, Spokane and Richland hospitals followed. Greager was able to spend Thanksgiving and Christmas at home, but in January he needed open heart surgery to replace two heart valves. The heart damage possibly was from medication he was taking to help with his condition.

He then dealt with more surgeries, infections and abscesses.

Doctors determined Greager had a neurological disorder called chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy. It's considered the chronic form of Guillain-Barr syndrome, in which the immune system attacks part of the nervous system, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. There's no known cure.

Greager had never heard of either condition before he became sick. It was difficult to go from being a strapping 6-foot-1 man used to taking care of his family to someone confined to a hospital bed, he said.

He tried not to be angry and instead tried to believe he soon would be OK.

He got to come home for good at the end of May. He now has regular physical and occupational therapy and has been walking laps at the Columbia Center mall to speed his progress.

He's often outpaced by mall walkers who are much older, but that doesn't bother him, he said. Neither did a question from a man who spotted him doing his laps the other day.

The man asked why Greager -- who takes slow, stilted steps -- was walking so funny.

"I said, 'You should have seen me four months ago,' " Greager recalled, chuckling.

That positive attitude has inspired family and friends.

"He has outstanding character and unbelievable motivation," said Kristie Wellman, his physical therapist. "He's one of those people (who believe) if you put your mind to it, you can do anything."

She's going to be at the Cable Bridge Run and plans to seek out Greager to congratulate him. He's supposed to have a large cheering section.

Family, friends and other teachers from the Finley School District are supposed to walk with him wearing T-shirts that say, "Tony is back, baby! Courage, perseverance, determination." A limo ride also is planned.

Greager's older brother, Eric Greager of Richland, said the special reception is a way to show Tony how awed people are by his bravery.

"The things he's had to go through -- I'm really proud of him," Eric Greager said. "I'm amazed at what he's done."

Tony Greager soon will have another milestone to celebrate. He's going back to work in the Finley School District -- where he's taught for 27 years -- part-time in January.

He said he feels good about the progress he's made, and that he owes it to the family and other supporters he has in his life.

He'll also feel good crossing the finish line today after such a long journey.

"It's a goal that I set," he said. "It'll be nice to go out and reach it."