Courtesy photo Marquette resident and Great Lakes Talking Books patron Johnny Arenz is pictured smiling from ear to ear after picking up new audiobooks from GLTB in Marquette. Arenz rides on what he calls his “zoomer,” an electric wheelchair, for 15 minutes to go and pick up new audiobooks and talk with GLTB reader advisor Tonia Bickford. Arenz lives with wet macular degeneration, an eye disease that has led him to losing the majority of his vision. With GLTB, he’s able to continue reading, as he loves to do.

MARQUETTE — Marquette resident Johnny Arenz, 90, is an avid reader. He is a retired elementary principal and listens to audiobooks every day.

He also lives with wet macular degeneration, an eye disease that has led to him losing the majority of his vision.

“One day I woke up and I couldn’t see,” Arenz said. “… I not only couldn’t see, I (would) get a flashing red and yellow light in my eye all the time. You’d have to have (wet macular degeneration) to understand and I pray to God you never get it.”

When the flashing lights first happened, he was sent to Green Bay, Wisconsin, to get shots in his eyes to combat the eye disease.

“After three years, the doctor looked at me and said ‘Johnny, this is the last shot I can give you,’ and I asked why and he said ‘It’s not going to work anymore,'” he said.

For a year and a half, Arenz lived with the flashing lights in his eyes. He said the doctors were unable to help him, which led to finding help from the sisters of St. Paul Catholic Church in Negaunee.

After talking about his eye disease with a sister from the church, Arenz was invited to a prayer chain the following week.

“I got up and I said, ‘Hey, you don’t know me but I’m going insane. I got these red (and) yellow lights flashing (in my eyes),’ and they understood me and said they would pray for me,” he said. “I asked if they believe in miracles and they said they do. I said ‘I needed one.'”

Ten days later, Arenz was sitting in his living room at home watching TV.

“The left side of the TV was totally black. All I could see would be from the right half of the eye and the other eye was flashing. I couldn’t see the whole screen, only the right eye part. I’d come home every day and would say, ‘Maybe tomorrow, hey God?'” he said. “The 10th or 11th day I got up, I sat down, turned the TV on and was watching it and I realized that I could see the whole screen.”

Not only could Arenz see his TV for the first time but he could also see his living room window and, eventually, outside.

“For the first time in two years, instead of seeing only the right side of the street outside, I saw both (sides),” he said.

This happened three months ago. Now, Arenz doesn’t have the flashing lights and has some of his vision back.

Despite his improvement, he still doesn’t have enough vision to read a book. However, as an avid reader, Arenz doesn’t need all of his vision to still enjoy reading.

A bright spot in his life is the Great Lakes Talking Books location in Marquette.

GLTB is a free Braille and talking book library service for people with temporary or permanent low vision, blindness, reading disability or a physical disability that prevents reading or holding a printed book.

Tonia Bickford, reader advisor at GLTB, said the Marquette location opened its doors simultaneously with the Superiorland Library Cooperative in 1975.

“Tonia makes everyone feel welcome. She’s a great listener and goes out of her way to suggest books that appeal to us (readers),” Arenz said. “Tonia’s dedicated to her work and never leaves us stranded without reading material.”

Bickford said a myth she is trying to dispel at GLTB is that it’s only for blind senior citizens.

“We provide the service for people who are all ages in the Upper Peninsula and also in Crawford County and Alpena County in northern lower Michigan,” she said. “Our service is extended to people who can’t read the way they used to due to a physical disability, reading disability, blindness or low vision. There’s a variety of reasons and they don’t have to be permanent.”

One patron who used GLTB was a gentleman who had carpal tunnel surgery on both of his hands.

“Well guess what was good for him? Audiobooks,” Bickford said.

Patrons are given an account that can be used through an app on a phone, iPad or Kindle device.

“You can download the books and magazines in audio format and in Braille format using our app,” Bickford said. “So people who read Braille have Braille-display machines and they can download the digital Braille to read on their display device.”

For those who listen to audiobooks and audio magazines, they are able to do the same through the app.

“We don’t have any waiting lists, unlike library apps like Libby,” Bickford said. “We don’t have to have library waiting lists because we have special copyright privileges (through) the National Library Service (for the Blind and Print Disabled Library of Congress) so we can share simultaneous electronic copies of our audiobooks and audio magazines.”

According to the NLS’ website, the Librarian of Congress was authorized to arrange with other libraries to “serve as local or regional centers for the circulation of such books, under such conditions and regulations as he may prescribe.”

The next day, a joint resolution was passed, appropriating $100,000 for the 1932 fiscal year to “carry out the provisions of the act to provide books for blind adults,” establishing the NLS.

Patrons are also able to receive books through the mail. Bickford said GLTB will send a digital talking book machine to the patron with books loaded onto cartridges.

“I’d be lost without my reader,” Arenz said.

When the weather permits, you might spot Arenz on his electric wheelchair, or what he calls his “zoomer” as he’s heading up to GLTB to receive new audiobooks to listen to.

Since his retirement 37 years ago, Arenz said he has read over 2,500 books.

“But today, with this (reading machine), I probably read two books a week,” he said. “I read until 2 in the morning. I can’t see but I can listen with earphones and it fills a need.”

To learn more about the services at GLTB, visit online at greatlakestalkingbooks.org or contact Bickford by email at tb@greatlakestalkingbooks.org or call 906-228-7697, ext. 0.