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got back to the ward, with a bag full

of candy bars and crackers, Kenneth

McGarity realized that there was

hope. He finally said to himself, I’m

gonna make it.

During the next six months, he

underwent intensive rehabilitation

and kicked his morphine addiction.

Gradually he learned to feed himself,

shave, get dressed, and bathe with-

out assistance. In October 1969—

13 months after he’d been injured—he

friend with cerebral palsy was in a

wheelchair. Soon she and McGarity

fell in love, and by November, they

were married.

Doctors told the newlyweds that

because of McGarity’s injuries they

most likely would never have chil-

dren. But just two years later, they

were overjoyed to learn that Theresa

was expecting.

Alicia was born in 1973, followed

by Elizabeth in 1980. “If there were

“I COULDN’T BELIEVE

THE MAN WAS STILL

ALIVE. I DIDN’T WANT

HIM TO BE ALIVE.”

times in my life when I wished I had

eyes again,” McGarity says, “it was

there in the delivery room, holding

those newborn babies in my arms.”

There were harsher realities too.

Though McGarity had done a re-

markable job of overcoming his phys-

ical handicaps, Vietnam had taken a

devastating toll on his psyche. Every

time a jet flew overhead, he would

dive to the floor in panic. In the au-

tumn, he would experience severe

depressions that lasted for weeks. He

endured terrifying nightmares, flash-

backs, and mood swings. The fallout

was felt by the whole family. “A day

never went by that we didn’t discuss

checked out of the hospital, deter-

mined to rebuild his life.

McGarity settled in Phenix City,

Alabama, where his parents lived. He

was financially secure with veteran

benefits. His all-consuming interest

was a new CB radio, and in July 1971,

he was introduced at a CBers’ picnic

to a young woman with a sweet voice.

Her name was Theresa Leveret.

Theresa, 19, had finished her first

year of college. Although she was

shy, she had no trouble opening up

to this charming veteran with the

easy laugh. She didn’t give his dis-

ability a lot of thought: Theresa’s

grandmother had been blind, and a

Reader’s Digest Classic

116 may 2019 | rd.com